Pubdate: Thu, 20 Jul 2006
Source: Vancouver 24hours (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Canoe Inc
Contact:  http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3837
Author: Irwin Loy, 24 Hours
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)

PREVENTION CRUCIAL: DRUG COP

More focus must be placed on drug-use prevention, says  the Vancouver 
police department's drug policy  coordinator.

Insp. Scott Thompson notes there is no drug strategy at  the national 
or provincial levels.

"We can't do it alone," Thompson said. "When you look  at the amount 
of money being spent [on other  harm-reduction programs], there's not 
a lot being spent  on drug prevention."

Thompson is the author of the department's new drug  policy, which 
will likely be approved in September. The  policy embraces the city's 
at-times controversial Four  Pillars drug strategy, which has seen 
efforts like  needle exchanges, a supervised heroin injection site 
and a heroin maintenance program set up in recent  years.

Since June, the police have followed a policy of not  attending most 
emergency drug overdose calls, after  research suggested overdose 
deaths decreased if police  didn't lay charges for drug possession.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman