Pubdate: Tue, 10 Jan 2006
Source: Nanaimo News Bulletin (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006, BC Newspaper Group
Contact:  http://www.nanaimobulletin.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/948
Author: Ilan Goldenblatt

CONTAINING ADDICTS DOWNTOWN NOT A SOLUTION

To the Editor,

My name is Ilan Goldenblatt, I own The Thirsty Camel Cafe, on 
Victoria Crescent. A few weeks ago I was interviewed by the News 
Bulletin regarding the drug problems of the Victoria Crescent/China 
Steps area. I'd like to clarify a few things.

I believe in a harm reduction approach to drugs.

Drugs have been part of the human condition for thousands of years 
and prohibition has done nothing to stem the problem. We will never 
have a drug-free society or city, and must not spend tax dollars 
aimed at achieving that impossible goal.

We need to manage the problem in order to minimize its harm.

First lets define what the problem consists of:

- - Open drug sales on the streets including dealers approaching 
pedestrians and shoppers. - Open drug use on the street. - Spread of 
diseases due to needle sharing. - Drug-related crime: addicts 
breaking into cars and homes, shoplifting, etc. in order to procure 
enough money for their next fix. - Garbage and refuse related to 
people using the street as their bedroom. - Waste of tax dollars on 
police budgets, court and jail expenses.

How can we minimize these problems? Bigger police budgets are not the answer.

On the contrary, every year we spend more tax dollars on prohibition 
and every year the problem gets worse.

What we need is a creative, bold, radical, new approach. Smaller 
police budgets and bigger social services and health care budgets 
would be a good start.

After a year and a half of owning a business right in the heart of 
the problem, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the policy 
practiced by the RCMP with my tax dollars is one of containment.

Rather than fighting the downtown drug problem, the RCMP are making 
sure the problem stays in the Victoria Crescent/China Steps area and 
does not migrate to other parts of town.

I am not against containment in principle.

I only challenge the chosen location.

I propose that a different location be found, one not in a commercial 
or residential area. In that new location we can situate a homeless 
shelter, a soup kitchen, a safe consumption room (not just for IV 
drug users), a community health clinic and a needle exchange.

And if we want to stop drug-related crime we can start an experiment 
with drug maintenance programs.

We can provide addicts with free, clean drugs as long as they are 
willing to meet with a counsellor twice a week.

The user will find drugs and the money needed to buy them, whether we 
help them or not.

If we supply them with drugs they will not need to commit crimes to 
procure them, and they will not risk using dirty needles or tainted drugs.

These few suggestions would tackle most of the specific problems I 
listed above.

Until the city/RCMP policy changes from containing the problem in 
front of my business, to containing it someplace else, the least the 
city can do is not have the audacity to charge me municipal business 
taxes to fund a program that is harming my business.

Ilan Goldenblatt,

Thirsty Camel Cafe,

Nanaimo
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom