Pubdate: Wed, 10 Oct 2007
Source: North Shore News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 North Shore News
Contact:  http://www.nsnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/311
Author: Bethany Lindsay

FORUM BACKS INTEGRATED APPROACH TO DRUGS

Speakers Say Addiction's Human Cost As Important As Criminal Issue

A community-wide approach with full co-operation from all levels of 
government is what Metro Vancouver needs to deal with its drug and 
crime problems, according to most speakers at a forum at Hollyburn 
Country Club in West Vancouver.

Thursday's forum, entitled Dealing With Your Drug Problem, was part 
of the Future of the Region discussion series, and featured four 
experts speaking on region-wide solutions to drug addiction and 
associated crime.

Broadcaster Rafe Mair mediated a discussion between the panelists and 
a crowd of about 60 people, including local politicians such as City 
of North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto, West Vancouver Mayor Pam 
Goldsmith-Jones, and North Vancouver MP Don Bell.

Speaker Sherry Mumford, manager of addictions programs for the Fraser 
Health Authority, said that drug addiction is too often dealt with as 
a criminal justice issue, while human costs and health-care concerns 
are secondary.

Mumford stressed that the best approach would deal with drug 
addiction from every angle. "We need a health and criminal justice 
agenda, not health versus criminal justice agenda," she said.

A change in perception is also necessary. Mumford said that drug 
users are often seen as evil and below the rest of society. To find a 
solution to addiction, we need to realize, "that these people are 
citizens of our community," she said.

It's not enough to send an addict to a 28-day program, Mumford said. 
They need support from their communities, and that can only come with 
co-operation between departments and ministries at all levels of government.

Simon Fraser Criminology professor Ray Corrado suggested that 
prevention is a more useful approach than enforcement, and advocated 
an approach that would combine social housing, education, health care 
and justice to target at-risk children when they are still very young.

Corrado presented evidence from interviews with more than 1,000 youth 
involved in the criminal justice system, and explained that warning 
signs for addiction and criminal behaviour can be found before a 
child is even born. He cited binge drinking and glue sniffing by 
parents as two risk factors.

"You don't become an addict magically at 18," Corrado said.

Addiction isn't about bad people making bad choices, Corrado said, 
"it's a crisis of parenting, a crisis of community."

Dave Park, the former assistant managing director and chief economist 
for the Vancouver Board of Trade, agreed that intervening in problem 
cases works best when it can be done early.

Park also stressed the economic price of drug addiction. He said many 
addicts turn to property crime to support their habits, and property 
crime is costing Vancouver a total of $125 million each year. The 
total yearly police budget is $149 million.

Besides advocating a preventative approach to drug addiction and 
crime, Park said that drug-related crime programs must focus on 
dealing with chronic offenders, who return to prison time after time 
for similar crimes.

The only panelist who seemed to disagree with an integrated approach 
was Wallace Craig, a former provincial court judge and North Shore 
News columnist. Craig instead advocated what he called "tough love": 
better enforcement of drug laws, tougher sentences for drug 
possession and drug-related crimes, and forced detox and treatment.

Craig called Vancouver an "international disgrace," and suggested 
that Vancouver's streets are crawling with violent "Clockwork Orange 
youth." He warned the other Metro Vancouver municipalities not to, 
"let the City of Vancouver drive the rest of you down."
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman