Pubdate: Mon, 20 Sep 2004
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2004 The Province
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Robert McQuillan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?142 (Safe Injecting Rooms)
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1321/a09.html

I'M NOT A FAN OF SAFE-INJECTION SITES

I enjoyed Joey Thompson's Friday column on safe-injection sites.

There are some other points I would like to add:

- - Drug users still must steal your purse, burgle your car or break into your
home to acquire goods to sell to get cash for the purchase of drugs to
satisfy their habit. One day there will be an overdose death. What about
that liability?

- - Heroin injection users fix twice a day, and they may use the safe site.
People who inject a mixture of heroin and cocaine shoot-up as much as 20
times a day.

These individuals will not be making 20 or so daily trips back and forth to
the site. Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell is dreaming if he thinks he will
control the problem this way.

- - Why not look into the connection of increased home and business insurance
premiums and the relationship to crime? Surely that is a big reason why
citizens are being hit with huge increases.

- - What about the frequency of auto theft? How much has this impacted on
Insurance Corp. of B.C. rates? If the public were aware of this perhaps they
would apply more pressure on those criminal court judges who hand down
sentences.

The fact is Mayor Campbell is an egotistical, autocratic bully and will not
listen. He needs to hear from the taxpayer on this one.

Robert McQuillan, Vancouver
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MAP posted-by: Josh