Tuesday, October 20, 2009

SAFE CRACK-INHALING ROOMS


On Saturday, I wrote in this space about cuts to programs for the mentally ill and the addicted on Vancouver Island.

That story continues with more coverage yesterday and today.

In that context of no money for real needs, how can we explain the deranged rantings of Dr. Perry Kendall, who receives a regular government pay check as the Provincial Health Officer?

Kendall wants you and me to pay for supervised inhalation rooms for crack addicts, saying such facilities would help connect users with treatment programs and help fight the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Aside from the fact that there are almost NO treatment programs and that the addicts who use Insite to shoot heroin almost NEVER end up in treatment programs, what in god's name is Dr. P smoking these days?

Mr. Kendall's support is based on a research paper published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Of course, the so-called study couldn't exactly identify the link between smoking crack and other health problems. The study found that people who smoke crack cocaine are at increased risk of becoming infected with HIV, but did not pinpoint the exact mechanisms behind that link.

The study concluded there is an “urgent need” for public health programs aimed at crack cocaine users, including safer crack kits and supervised inhalation rooms.

Now, in real science, conclusions are not an Olympic activity like JUMPING. In real science, conclusions are arrived at after careful and serious deliberations.

Oh well, never fear.

Egghead to the rescue.

A UBC professor has added this: “The biggest bang for our buck will be taking people who are unengaged in care and getting them engaged in care,” Dr. Conway said, adding that the wait for addiction programs is from seven to 10 days.

The good doctor has no idea what he's talking about.

The wait for addiction programs is 6 months and then some.

The City of Victoria has ONE BED for teenage crack users. One.

Here's what you should do to prevent this evil idiocy.

Send an email today to mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca

Include this message:

Re: Safe places to smoke crack. If you support this idea, you will automatically lose my vote for another term.

Then look up your local MLA and send him or her the same message.

This is public money. Your money.

It is being squandered in the ugliest and most ineffective way.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

The time has come to realize that British Columbia and Vancouver are run by and advised by, lunatics!

Evil Eye

Jean said...

I have worked in addictions and mental health treatment for over 28 years and a move toward providing places to smoke crack is most disheartening. This would be "safe" and/or "supervised"? Smoking crack is never safe. What is to supervise? The general public should know that crack addicts smoke crack frequently throughout the day and night, not just once a day! To believe that they will hang out at the government funded facility to continue this habitual behaviour all day and night is naive. They go elsewhere and continue the behaviour. This has a negative effect not just on the addict, but on their families and the community in which they live. It is preposterous to believe that smoking up in a "supervised" setting will lead to treatment or even a reduction in use. I'm bothered that any government offical would try to sell that notion to the public. Sounds more like the government is mandating the slow suicide of persons who are willing to use that type of facility just so they can stay high. Does much else really matter to an addict until they receive a wake up call to straighten out for a while? Not really, because folks, their lives centre around the drug taking behaviour. Period. If we, if the government, really wants to do something about the drug problem in Vancouver or elsewhere, we would put money into treatment and provide motivation for addicts to want to go there.

Robert W. said...

I just heard the two Bills on NW discussing this. I know, my bad! But like the pair of sheeple they are, they seemed to be nodding in tacit agreement about what a good idea this is. Nuts!

Norman Spector calmly but firmly suggested that it ought to first be tried in Toronto & Montreal. Bravo!

Anonymous said...

David, I can't even begin to explain how absolutely distressing and infuriating and heartbreaking it is to think people would rather take the easy road and keep people hooked than commit to make a true effort to "unhook" them. Thank you for continuing to shine a bright light on this issue. Again, it's like providing nicely painted rooms with soft carpeting wherein abusive husbands can beat the crap out of their wives to their hearts' contents and when the wives fall down unconscious, they will be assured of a soft surface. So why stop the abuse, eh?

Anonymous said...

I wonder why anyone still goes to work day in and day out. When you think of the amount of time you spend at work to earn a living and pay your taxes these insane ideas make me think its a waste of my time.

I suggest that we take the home next door to Gregors and make it the crack house. On the other side the heroin house. Next to that a home for gas sniffers. Next door a house to sniff glue. Next door a building to drink cooking wines. We can probably fill 20 or more homes with every sort of substance abuser known to mankind.