Organizers Plan to Relaunch Legalization Campaign The campaign to decriminalize marijuana in B.C. looked like it might end up on a high note, but big numbers of those in favour started turning out too late to force a referendum. The petition drive got off to a slow start, but days before the close of the 90-day effort to get 400,000 petition signatures to force a referendum on the decriminalization of marijuana, the numbers of people willing to put their names behind the cause started ramping up. [continues 465 words]
With a December deadline looming, the Sensible B.C. campaign is only about half way to reaching the target for its marijuana decriminalization petition. Signatures from 10 per cent of registered voters in B.C.'s 85 electoral districts are sought - approximately 400,000 signatures - and according to organizers, the number is currently sitting somewhere between the 100,000 and 200,000 mark. "We put out a number a week ago (and) we just said we were at less than half ... but I don't have a number since then," said Dana Larsen, director of the Sensible B.C. campaign. "Our numbers have been going up substantially in the last little while." [continues 252 words]
To the Editor, Now is the time for all marijuana smokers to step out of the closet and sign the Sensible B.C. referendum in your area. There will be no better time than now. For decades, pot smokers have hidden behind the imposed curtain of a constructed social stigma that neither accurately reflects the smokers nor the plant. You have been labelled, marginalized, jailed, fined, lied about and pushed to the fringes of your community. The manufactured lies about the harmful effects have not been borne out, yet you allow them to run the agenda. [continues 210 words]
To the Editor, Re: B.C. marijuana referendum misguided, Oct. 10 Fletcher's column misrepresented the Sensible B.C. campaign and could lead to confusion about our efforts for a marijuana referendum. The ultimate aim of Sensible B.C. is to have B.C.'s marijuana industry regulated in a similar manner to wine. Our proposed legislation, the Sensible Policing Act, is designed to bring us closer to that goal. The act has four components, all designed to be within provincial jurisdiction. [continues 185 words]
I won't be signing the "Sensible B.C." petition to demand a provincewide referendum on marijuana enforcement. You shouldn't either, and here are a few reasons why. Let me start by saying I've been calling for legalization and regulation of pot for 20 years, to conserve police resources and reduce violent crime. Our war on drugs is a failure even for heroin and cocaine, and marijuana is obviously much easier to produce. But the current effort led by Dana Larsen, B.C.'s clown prince of pot, is not only misguided, it's dangerous. [continues 516 words]
Tom Mulcair, national NDP Party leader, stopped for morning coffee and to pitch the party's platform to abolish the Senate and work for marijuana reform Friday. Mulcair and his wife, Catherine Pinhas, were greeted by a small gathering of about 40 supporters and press at Mon Petit Choux Bakery and Cafe at about 8 a.m. for a meet and greet with supporters and local MLAs. Mulcair categorized the visit as part of a "listening tour" to hear concerns of British Columbians, but the overall tone of the event seemed a lot more like a campaign stop as he promoted federal NDP goals of abolishing the Senate and attacked the federal Conservatives and Liberals. [continues 322 words]
To the Editor, Re: Pot activist signing up volunteers, Aug. 27. Starting Sept. 9, the Sensible B.C. campaign will begin collecting signatures in support of ending police enforcement of the law against possession of small quantities of cannabis in BC. This would be a cost-saving measure, and would free up police resources to spend more time enforcing laws that protect our citizens. Another benefit would be the avoidance of criminalizing otherwise law-abiding citizens. The stigma of a criminal record is life-changing, limiting opportunities in employment, education, and travel. An 18 year old who has the misfortune to be caught possessing cannabis faces a lifetime of restrictions that are detrimental to the individual and to society as a whole, because this person is not able to contribute as fully as would be possible without this stigma. [continues 54 words]
To the Editor, Re: Pot activist signing up volunteers, Aug. 27. Your article leads me to ask several questions. First, with so many needs for funding for such services as medical needs for seniors, keeping our schools open and the school meal program, why would we spend millions of provincial tax dollars on this cause? Is Dana Larsen footing the bill for the referendum? Secondly, how will an increase in the availability of marijuana benefit the youth of B.C.? There is a downside of marijuana use and the developing brains of youth are particularly at risk for long term problems. Our track record of keeping tobacco out of the hands of children is not good and the same will happen with marijuana if it is openly available in the home. [continues 90 words]
With canvassing set to start for a marijuana decriminalization referendum, the man spearheading the effort was in Nanaimo soliciting volunteers Thursday. Beginning Sept. 9, the campaign will have 90 days to gather about 400,000 signatures and Dana Larsen, director of the Sensible BC campaign for a marijuana referendum, said it is more than just getting people to sign a petition. "We're going to need a couple thousand canvassers all around the province to make this succeed," Larsen said. "It's a very complicated enterprise. We need to collect signatures from 10 per cent of the registered voters in every one of B.C.'s 85 electoral districts. There's a different form for each district - they have to sign the right form. [continues 308 words]
A group campaigning to de-criminalize marijuana possession has been denied booth space at one of Nanaimo's largest festivals. Sensible B.C., a group led by marijuana activist Dana Larsen, proposes an amendment to the Police Act that would disallow police in B.C. to spend any time, money or resources on cases of simple possession of cannabis. Elections B.C. has given approval in principal for the group to lead a petition drive and starting Sept. 9, Sensible B.C. will have 90 days to collect signatures from at least 10 per cent of registered provincial voters in each of the province's 85 electoral districts to trigger a referendum, as was done to repeal the HST. [continues 199 words]
Nanaimo city council approved the first two readings of a bylaw last week that will permit the growing and production of marijuana for medicinal purposes in the industrial (I4) zone. Council made the decision after receiving updated information on changes in the federal regulation of medicinal marijuana. Effective April 1, 2014, the growing of medicinal marijuana is permitted under the Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes Regulation, which is regulated by Health Canada. Medicinal marijuana growing and production is defined by Health Canada as "the growing and production of marijuana to be used exclusively for medicinal purposes, as permitted under the MMPR." [continues 61 words]
To the Editor, Re: Police seize cocaine, cash in drug arrest, Jan 17. The recent seizure of drugs and weapons by Nanaimo RCMP does nothing to disrupt supply and won't prevent more illicit drugs from entering the city. The largest drug seizure in Canadian history took place in 2000 when 100 kilograms of heroin was confiscated in Vancouver's port. Subsequent research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in 2003 showed that contrary to law enforcement predictions, the price of heroin actually dropped in Vancouver. A seizure of this magnitude had no impact on supply. [continues 176 words]
Two very different scenes unfolded at opposite ends of the province last week. In the remote northwest corner of B.C., the first power line towers started going up to connect Highway 37 communities to the B.C. Hydro grid. The Nisga'a, Tahltan and other aboriginal communities will soon have reliable power, as well as much-needed training and jobs during clearing and construction. Meanwhile down on the Gulf Islands, the most hysterical, dishonest campaign against smart meters I've heard of so far went into high gear. [continues 520 words]
To the Editor, Re: Marijuana tax fiasco no joke, Opinion, Sept. 18. Not only should medical marijuana be made available to patients in need, but adult recreational use should be regulated as well. Drug policies modeled after alcohol prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors immune to adult sentences. So much for protecting the children. Throwing more money at the problem is no solution. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime. [continues 67 words]
When a club that sells medical marijuana owes $150,000 in income taxes, stoner jokes aren't far behind. But for the thousands of people who use marijuana to ease chronic pain from illness and side effects of legal medication, it's no laughing matter. Leon "Ted" Smith and his Victoria-based Cannabis Buyers' Club of Canada has sold marijuana products for 16 years to thousands of people who can prove they have certain permanent diseases or chronic ailment. Smith admits in the media and on his website that he's avoided paying taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency for years. [continues 219 words]
To the Editor, Re: Pot legalization gets support from municipal reps, April 26. I agree with Mayor John Ruttan's recent comment that young people should not smoke, whether it's cannabis or tobacco. However, if they do choose between the two, I hope it's a decision which does not include them among the 40,000 Canadian deaths which occur annually. According to Health Canada, fewer and fewer young people have started smoking over the past decade. This change in national behaviour was accomplished through education and the regulation of tobacco products, and not by threatening smokers with arrest, criminal records, or imprisonment. [continues 103 words]
The hazy subject of decriminalizing marijuana got support from Island local government officials this month. The issue has filtered through all three levels of Canadian government, with the most recent being political representatives at the Association of Vancouver Island Costal Communities convention in Ucluelet. The municipality of Metchosin put forward a motion to decriminalize marijuana, claiming prohibition is a failed policy that has cost millions of dollars in police, court, jail and social costs. It also indicates legalizing the leafy plant would provide tax revenues. [continues 279 words]
There might not be a better time for a cannabis convention. With calls for the legalization of marijuana from former B.C. attorneys general, former Vancouver mayors, current Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and B.C. health officials making headlines, it's a good time to get the issues out the public. The Cannabis Convention, organized by the International Hempology 101 Society and Vancouver Island University's Hempology 101 Club, takes place Sunday (March 18) from 1-4 p.m. in Bldg. 200, Rm. 203 at VIU. [continues 230 words]
To the Editor, Re: Legalization a federal matter, Letters, Feb. 21. Jim Corder asked: "... where is the Marijuana Party in all of this? Given the current zeitgeist they could be shedding their reputation as a fringe party and garnering a lot of votes." The Marijuana Party was burned to the ground and then bulldozed by changes to the election laws that took effect in 2004. Marijuana and the Marijuana Party are in similar social situations, being attacked and wiped out while the only possible practical resistance is to retreat and attempt to still survive somehow. For several years, the Conservative Party has had more money than all other parties combined, and 10,000 times more money than the Marijuana Party. Blair T. Longley via e-mail [end]
Nanaimo and District Crime Stoppers is going into Dover Bay Secondary School this month. Const. Gary O'Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman and Crime Stoppers police coordinator, said he will kick off the program by giving presentations to each age group in the school. Police were scheduled to talk to students about the program Wednesday (March 7), but due to the teachers' strike, the launch will be rescheduled to another day this month, he said. The RCMP, working with school administrators, will promote Crime Stoppers through posters around the school and posting 'Crimes of the Week'. [continues 307 words]
To the Editor, Re: Four former A-Gs add names to provincial push for pot legalization and Legalization's time has come, Opinion, Feb. 16. I'm in total agreement with everything in both of these articles, but is it not a federal matter rather than provincial? Premier Christy Clark doesn't appear to be against ending prohibition but she said she'd leave it up to the feds and I think she's right. The people we need to convince are the prime minister and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. [continues 242 words]
To the Editor, Re: Prohibition of pot simply bad policy, Letters, Feb. 13. Stan White is essentially correct. The fact, nevertheless, remains; the prohibition of pot is well beyond being bad policy. It is social engineering of national import which has unwittingly been allowed to go terribly awry and needs to be fixed immediately. If it were otherwise, the prohibition of pot would be seen as little more than a haphazard attempt at masking a collusion between organized crime and the political elite wherein politicians, enforcement and media are little more than public relations vehicles for either an elected criminal elite or that segment (of public officials) which have influence and have already been bought. Summing up, the prohibition of pot, like the national anti-drug strategy, is a federal intrusion on what should rightly be a provincial harm reduction matter. Wayne Phillips Hamilton, Ont. [end]
Addiction experts from across Canada will come to Nanaimo in March to highlight the therapeutic community model of substance abuse treatment. Canada's first National Therapeutic Community Symposium, organized by the Nanaimo Addiction Foundation, takes place March 5-8 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre. "There hasn't been really any opportunity for the therapeutic communities across the country to get together before," said France Tellier, foundation president and executive director of the Nanaimo and Region John Howard Society. "I think it's a great opportunity for people to share ideas about what is excellence in addiction treatment." [continues 448 words]
The federal government's proposed crime bill was the topic of a protest in downtown Nanaimo Thursday. About 30 people gathered in the rain to participate in a rally that started in Maffeo Sutton Park and ended in front of the courthouse on Front Street. Many of the participants were involved with the Occupy Nanaimo movement, in which people camped out at Diana Krall Plaza until forced to remove their tents after the city sought a civil injunction. Bill C-10, the Safe Streets and Communities Act, is comprised of nine pieces of reform legislation debated by Parliament during the previous session that never became law. [continues 317 words]
With former attorneys general, ex-municipal mayors and a host of medical health officers all advocating for the legalization of marijuana, the public should start to wonder what politicians are smoking to make inaction seem like the right decision. Former B.C. Attorney General Geoff Plant and his colleagues are the latest to lobby the province for reforms to its marijuana laws by ending prohibition on B.C.'s unofficial cash crop. Like prohibition of alcohol during the Great Depression made millionaires out of bootleggers and gangsters, marijuana laws financially benefit both organized crime and petty criminals, while punishing taxpaying, law-abiding citizens for inhaling in the privacy of their homes. [continues 179 words]
To the Editor, Re: Legalization debate all about the money, Letters, Jan. 24. Clearly government subsidized cannabis (marijuana) prohibitionists and their unions have a significant financial interest in perpetuating one of North America's worst policy failures in history. However, as I investigate the people and groups which advocate re-legalizing the relatively safe, extremely popular God-given plant (see the first page of the Bible), I don't see financial interests, but rather an interest in ending bad policy which has negatively affected millions of citizens. One place this can be verified is the Media Awareness Project's website archive, including letters. Everyday adult citizens just want to stop discrimination for using a beneficial plant which is clearly safer than alcohol, by the way. Stan White Dillon, Colorado [end]
It's interesting that the Vancouver Island Health Authority is quietly moving forward with its harm-reduction strategy. What's perhaps more interesting is that the public was relatively quiet about a previously contentious issue. Our story last week about VIHA's plans to expand the initiative which provides crack kits, needles and other drug-use paraphernalia to reduce disease transmission, and thus cut health-care costs to more Island locations generated some response from readers, but overall, there's been little heard about the program since last year. [continues 198 words]
To the Editor, Re: Legalization of pot good for society, Letters, Jan. 14. Lately there has been considerable debate over the legalization of pot. Both sides of the story have been well-represented. At this point, I would say that neither side is correct. To be blunt, this whole deal isn't about drugs or who is right or wrong. This is about business. At this moment, there is a very large industry at work fighting the 'war on drugs'. This industry consists of thousands or millions, really. [continues 98 words]
Ecstasy can kill you. Can that message be driven home any more acutely than it has in communities in B.C. and Alberta? In recent weeks, the popular man-made drug has taken several lives and is responsible for another that hangs in the balance. The drugs were laced with paramethoxy-metamphetamine. On Nov. 27, Tyler Miller, 20, took ecstasy. He was a gifted Abbotsford musician and student, with great career plans. It's all over. He was dead in eight hours. [continues 243 words]
The Vancouver Island Health Authority is looking at distributing crack kits, needles and other harm reduction supplies at additional facilities across the Island. The health authority made harm reduction a hot topic in Nanaimo when it rolled out a pilot project for a mobile service without consultation in 2007, drawing backlash from the community and city council. The health authority backed off, but last year implemented the first phase of its harm reduction strategy, which included distributing these items at eight 'secondary' sites across the Island, meaning the facilities' primary purpose is not to distribute harm reduction supplies, but service users can get the supplies while there. [continues 308 words]
To the Editor, Re: "'White team' targets drugs, Jan. 10. Good to see the RCMP has set up a white team to combat Nanaimo drug dealers who deal in cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and crystal meth. RCMP have, for the first time ever that I am aware of, separated this effort to combat these dangerous hard drugs, from the continued efforts of the existing "'green team', which is mandated to enforce marijuana infractions. At last, there may be some recognition creeping into law enforcement that there is a huge difference between a naturally growing benign weed and dangerous manufactured chemical drugs. Good on ya, Nanaimo RCMP - it's a start. John Volkovskis Nanaimo [end]
To the Editor, Re: Prohibitionists losing legal debate, Letters, Jan. 10. OK, you've had your fun. You've sparked a debate where both sides have strong opinions that are long on emotion and short on fact. The writers make sweeping statements such as Whelm King's, "Cannabis should be legalized because it is relatively harmless and is a potent and effective natural medicine" without referencing any specific study that supports his statement. Ashley Suggett offers California's legalization and regulation of medical marijuana as a useful example while seeming to be unaware of similar provision currently available to Canadians. [continues 240 words]
To the Editor, Re: Prohibitionists losing legal debate, Letters, Jan. 10. I read Whelm King and other recent letters in support of the legalization of marijuana with great interest and agree with their primary position, which is that the present illegal status of marijuana inflicts greater harm on society than if it were fully legalized. In the course of my work, I have visited Mexico at least a dozen times over the past few years and it is my fervent wish that those who support the continued illegal status of marijuana should have the opportunity to visit that embattled nation and witness a horror of almost biblical proportion for themselves. [continues 270 words]
To the Editor, Re: Legalizing pot isn't appropriate answer, Letters, Jan. 7. I enjoyed reading the letter but think it missed the main point of legalizing marijuana. The main point of legalizing marijuana is the same reason as alcohol was legalized more than 90 years ago. It was to take the criminal element out of the equation, to control quality, distribution and get the revenue, instead of just all the costs. Today the revenue of alcohol helps offset the cost of the harm alcohol does to society and the revenue from legalizing marijuana will do the same. [continues 111 words]
To the Editor, Re: Prohibitionists losing legal debate, Letters, Jan. 10. Thank you for publishing Whelm King's letter outlining some of the major failings and fallacies of prohibition. I am tempted to go one step further and ask myself why someone would support such a harmful and ridiculous public policy? I believe the answer is that the staunchest supporters of prohibition are people who have a personal problem with drug or alcohol use. The facts show that approximately four per cent of our population is susceptible to addiction to drugs or alcohol and 96 per cent of us can use these substances in moderation or not at all. [continues 78 words]
To the Editor, Re: Marijuana fight not worth costs, Letters, Jan. 7. Robert Sharpe mentions the long-term effects of a criminal record as a cost in the war on marijuana. America is the leader of the non-free world with more than 20 million arrested. People have been deprived of their liberty, property and privacy for violating state and federal marijuana laws for political reasons, under the colour of law. Under the rule of law, the classification of marijuana as a controlled substance would be declared unconstitutional by the courts. Why hasn't it been done? [continues 59 words]
Mounties Put New Emphasis on Dealers Trading in Powders Nanaimo Mounties unleashed the newly formed White Team on drug dealers who trade specifically in powdered drugs. The team is a specialized enforcement unit created to tackle the distribution and sale of heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and crystal methamphetamine in Nanaimo. It made its debut Wednesday at about 7:30 p.m. when team members netted several ounces of cocaine, plus stolen wallets and identification, along with two suspects at an apartment in the 400 block of Third Street. [continues 460 words]
To the Editor, Re: Legalizing pot isn't appropriate answer, Letters, Jan. 7. I think Raegan Eisfeld really needs to rethink the strategy in comparing legalizing marijuana to legalizing B&Es and rape. I find it offensive that this person would write a letter with this message. They have obviously not experienced two things: smoking weed and getting raped. There is outstanding evidence that pot can help people who are in the most need of it. Cancer paitents who otherwise cannot eat. Multiple sclerosis patients who cannot operate without painkillers that attack your liver and kidneys, putting even more strain on our already overloaded health-care system. [continues 152 words]
To the Editor, Re: Legalizing pot isn't appropriate answer, Letters, Jan. 7. Raegan Eisfeld believes the current marijuana laws are not working. She's correct. She does not believe in decriminalization or legalization though, and gives no other options. Criminals are going to be around no matter what the consequences, that's not the point. The point is that young people are being saddled with a criminal record for a harmless drug. Comparing B&Es to possession of marijuana is a ridiculous example. There is no victim to someone smoking marijuana in their own home. [continues 59 words]
To the Editor, Re: Legalizing pot isn't appropriate answer, Letters, Jan. 7. The prohibitionists arguments against legalizing and regulating cannabis, as seen in Raegan Eisfeld's letter, have become laughable. We have seen prohibitionists try scare tactics (reefer madness), puritan ethics (just say no), totally unscientific claims (cannabis is addictive and is a gateway drug) and outright oppression through imprisoning fellow citizens whose 'crime' hurt no one else, including themselves. Now we see a final frontier of the truly desperate in their losing struggle: legalizing cannabis won't hurt gangs as they will find something else to do. [continues 143 words]
To the Editor, Re: B.C. public health officers behind taxing, legalizing marijuana, Jan. 3. The Health Officers Council of British Columbia has taken a bold step by urging political leaders to take control of the cannabis trade. Organized crime now has a monopoly on a $7-billion clandestine trade which spawns violence, murder and unsafe communities. Every objective outcome measure shows us how badly prohibitionist policies have failed to reach their declared goals. Today, marijuana is stronger in potency, more widely used by young people, and easier to obtain despite decades of repressive laws and enforcement tactics. [continues 166 words]
To the Editor, Re: Marijuana prohibition a bizarre, expensive approach, Guest Comment, Dec. 17. Marijuana eradication efforts are no doubt well-intended, but ultimately counterproductive. The drug war's distortion of immutable laws of supply and demand causes big money to grow on little trees. Canadian tax dollars are wasted on anti-drug strategies that only make marijana growing more profitable. In 2002, the Canadian Senate offered a common sense alternative to prohibition when the Special Committee on Illegal Drugs concluded that marijuana is relatively benign, marijuana prohibition contributes to organized crime, and law enforcement efforts have little impact on patterns of use. [continues 106 words]
To the Editor, Re: Trustee's past not something to laugh off, Letters, Dec. 15. Madeline Bruce continues her recent pattern of using shoddy science and misunderstood claims to justify her beliefs. She cites Carol Falkowski, who claims 100,000 people a year seek treatment for cannabis addiction in the U.S. Leaving aside the fact that this assertion is not backed up by hard data and that Falkowski is a heavily biased source, what Bruce fails to recognize is that in the U.S., the vast majority of all those seeking rehabilitation for "'marijuana addiction' are doing so for the sole reason that they have been brought to trial for possession of a small amount of the drug, wherein they are given the choice to go to jail and have a criminal record, or to declare they are "'addicted' and seek treatment. [continues 147 words]
To the Editor, Re: Marijuana prohibition a bizarre, expensive approach, Guest Comment, Dec. 17. Christopher Foulds is right, the crime bill treats casual marijuana users with more force than it treats perverts. Meanwhile, Health Canada's proposed changes in conjunction with Bill C-10 clause, its amended clause 41 and its mandatory minimum penalties (the Safe Streets and Communities Act) will result in sick and dying Canadians who refuse to relinquish their Personal Production Licence and Designated Growers being targeted and jailed. [continues 60 words]
"To alcohol - the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems!" Homer Simpson I wonder if Prime Minister Stephen Harper enjoys the occasional beer or scotch and soda while unwinding from a long day in politics. I wonder if Harper enjoys a glass of wine as he works on the passion that is his book on the history of hockey. I wonder this now because we are weeks away from stronger Conservative-created laws that will create criminals out of ordinary people while making real criminals all the richer. [continues 560 words]
To the Editor, Re: Trustee resigns to battle for record checks, Dec. 3. I say it's worth $100,000 for Donna Allen to make a stand against incoming school trustee Bill Bard since he did not disclose his criminal record for growing marijuana. This is not the kind of role model I want to see making decisions for school children. Despite the recent popular hankerings to see marijuana legalized, history has multiple examples to show that drug panaceas always have a negative side. [continues 62 words]
VICTORIA - One of the last exchanges in the B.C. legislature's fall session was over the state of the court system. Drug dealers are walking free, NDP leader Adrian Dix reminded Public Safety Minister Shirley Bond in the final question period. Dix referred to a Prince George case this fall where a convicted cocaine dealer racked up more trafficking charges while he was on trial, and then was released because he couldn't be tried in a timely fashion. The NDP was picking up on an unusually political speech last week by B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Bauman. Speaking to the annual B.C. judges' conference in Las Vegas, Bauman warned that funding cuts have the B.C. court system "going over a cliff in slow motion." [continues 487 words]
To the Editor, Re: Citizens rally over federal crime stance, Nov. 26, and Federal crime bill a step backward, Letters, Nov. 26. I believe Barbara Kohlman's comment "the public is not as knowledgeable on the crime bill as it should be" , including those doing the rallying. I haven't seen anything in the media that supports scare-mongering ideas like "sending teens to jail for shoplifting" or "jailing the mentally ill, addicted or poverty stricken" . Is this speculation or did I miss a government announcement? [continues 178 words]
To the Editor, Re: Government funding supports addicts, Letters, Oct. 4. After having participated in the federal Supreme Court Case for Insite in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside as a B.C. Nurses Union council member, I feel I need to respond to this dialogue (the ruling came down last week in our favour). The BCNU has supported safe injection sites from the beginning. It may not look, upfront, like it's beneficial and it may even look like its enabling but it's not. [continues 231 words]
To the Editor, Re: Harm reduction hardly a waste of taxpayers' money, Letters, Sept. 29. Matthew Elrod suggests we should reduce the law enforcement budget regarding drug use and obviously spend the money on harm reduction. Of course, the people producing drugs would then have to curtail their production, as there would be far fewer drug addicts. Unfortunately, in the real world, providing addicts with wet housing, clean needles, food and even counselling has not reduced their number nor their use of drugs. [continues 89 words]
