Pubdate: Sun, 14 Feb 2010
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2010 Times Colonist
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/letters.html
Website: http://www.timescolonist.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Author: Earson Gibson

SAFE INJECTION HELPS US ALL

I'd like to end the misunderstanding of what harm reduction means in 
the context of Insite. Harm reduction doesn't mean reducing harm to 
the addict, although that's a beneficial side-effect, but reducing 
harm to the public.

In a country with social health care where we all have to pay for 
each other's illnesses, the cost of a clean syringe can offset the 
cost of treating illnesses which, depending on the infection, can be 
upward of $100,000 per individual. More importantly, imagine a 
scenario where an addict becomes infected with an illness and 
unknowingly passes it on to someone else, who then passes it on to 
someone else.

The people, including our federal government, which is fundamentally 
(morally?) opposed to giving addicts free, clean needles for their 
benefit need to reconsider the issue from a more selfish standpoint. 
It's not about helping addicts, it's about helping ourselves.

Earson Gibson

Victoria
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart