Pubdate: Mon, 29 Jan 2007
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 The Vancouver Sun
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Kerry L. Jang

MAYOR'S SCHEME HAS HALLMARKS OF A SCAM

Re: Mayor proposes 'revolutionary' plan for addicts, Jan. 22

When telemarketers call or television shopping hosts promote their 
"revolutionary" new product to cure one's ills, we are often warned 
by consumer advocates to remind ourselves "if it sounds too good to 
be true, it probably is". Sam Sullivan refers to his new plan to 
address drug addiction and mental illness as "revolutionary" and that 
it will ". . . eliminate most of Vancouver's problems with 
homelessness, panhandling and drug-dealing". His plan has all of the 
hallmarks of a telemarketing scam because, as reported in the Sun, he 
has shied away from giving specific details of how this plan is to 
work, but we are expected to trust his promises of what it can do.

There are no details on which legal alternatives to street drugs are 
to be prescribed to addicts or how these residents are to be reliably 
monitored or followed up. Sullivan has no expertise, training or 
experience working with the mentally ill or substance abusers, so it 
pushes the limits of credulity that he can devise a plan in eight 
months, release few details so experts can determine what the plan 
actually does, and then forge straight ahead to ask the federal 
government for exemptions for dangerous drugs so he can implement it 
without due care. This is simply irresponsible. I wonder if this plan 
is a genuine attempt to actually help substance abusers and the 
mentally ill or is a means to provide a "medical" excuse to simply 
sweep them off the street into institutions far away from Olympic 
venues. Caveat emptor.

Kerry L. Jang

Professor

Department of Psychiatry University of B.C. 
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman