Free Heroin in Canada

The Coffee Shop
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Just read this and wondered what you all think, especially you Canadian ST’ers. Is this a real solution or putting a band aid on a sucking chest wound?

Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Just over the United States northwest border, addicts will soon be able to get their fix from the Canadian government in the form of free heroin (search) administered by nurses and doctors on the taxpayer’s dime.

"They’re using heroin. They’ll continue to use heroin. What we’re trying to do is prevent them from getting something irreversible like HIV, hep C and overdose death,” said Dr. Martin Schechter, the director of the heroin program.

Vancouver is the first city to take part in the North American Opiate Medication Initiative, which plans to enroll 470 participants at three sites in Canada. The Toronto and Montreal sites are expected to begin recruiting candidates this spring.

Vancouver Police Chief Jamie Graham (search) is among supporters who say the heroin giveaway will let junkies shoot up without having to resort to theft or prostitution to buy their drugs. Breaking that cycle of crime, they argue, is the first step toward turning an addict’s life around.

“I’m not a medical expert, this is not my field. I’m an expert in public safety," Graham said. “And if this will help reduce the crime rate — I’m all for it.”

In the program all addicts have to do to get their fix is show up three times a day seven days a week.

Junkies offered different views of the program to FOX News. Some think it’s the government’s way of killing them, while others say they can’t wait for the free dope. But none of them thought it would eventually get them clean.

"I think it would lower the crime rate. Nobody’s gonna be robbing each other. Nobody’s going to be sick enough to rob each other. All be taken care of. Free dope, woo-hoo,” said heroin addict Olivia Edgars.

Recovered addict Chuck Swesey - who’s been clean 20 years - says the program smacks of government drug pushing. He says he knows how he would’ve ended under a program like this: “I’d be dead … or I’d be in a jail or an institution.”

The $8 million Canadian program is patterned after similar efforts in Europe.

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This is nothing new. They’ve been doing it in Britain and several European countries for many years, all of which have a much lower drug related crime rate than countries such as the United States that takes a more punitive rather than rehab approach to the problem. Let’s be honest, the “war on drugs” is a joke.

In Europe, France has the toughest laws against heroin use while Holland has free heroin coupled with rehab programs for addicts. Guess which country has the lowest heroin related crime rate (hint: they don’t speak French there).

Vancouver has the biggest drug addiction problem of any Canadian city. Probably because of the warmer climate attracting migrants. Drug addiction is a terrible waste of somebody’s life but IMO it’s often more of a disease than a crime.

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Totally agree our “War on Drugs” is a joke.

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That ws going to be my response, better than if they have to steal for it or share their needles on the street. Cerv just showed how much it can benefit.

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"Sweet. I think I’ll move there and become a heroin addict. "

Have you ever known anyone who has become addicted to drugs or alcohol? I have, and can say that it’s a truly tragic thing to see a life wasted. I know one guy who was once a doctor who is now a street person due to a combo of drugs and mental illness.

Throwing them in jail isn’t the solution. I’m quite willing to see a higher % of my tax dollars going to rehab programs to help people put their lives back together. If society isn’t willing to pay for these programs we will pay in other ways.

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They’ve been doing it in Britain and several European countries for many years, all of which have a much lower drug related crime rate than countries such as the United States

I love it. Someone posts an article about a Canadian attempt to deal with drug addiction and asks if it’s a good approach, and a Canuck chimes in with how bad America handles its drug problem.

Fascinating how you view all of these questions through the same prism, CG.

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"Someone posts an article about a Canadian attempt to deal with drug addiction and asks if it’s a good approach, and a Canuck chimes in with how bad America handles its drug problem. "

Vitus, please stop being so sensative. I’m not being anti-American by comparing approaches used in different countries(also mentioned France didn’t I), but was using as examples two different ways to approach the drug problem by comparing two different approaches to the drug problem.

I had a family relative that had drug problems. I’ve seen first hand that a rehab approach was more effective in turning his life around than was throwing him in jail. In his case he almost did go to jail, but was given a last chance through rehab. On this issue, I’m all for adopting a more Euro style approach to the problem because I personally believe that’s it’s often more effective.

Personally, I’m very interested to see how effective this approach is in Vancouver. If successful it could be a model for other North American cities

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Sure, if you don’t make drug use a crime anymore, then your drug crime rate WILL go down. If you don’t make speeding a crime anymore, then your speeding crimes will go down. Let’s make everything not a crime anymore and we’ll be crime free!!

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I’m not suggesting for one moment that selling or distrubing narcotics isn’t a crime and shouldn’t be treated as one. What I am saying is for your average Joe addict a rehab approach is likely more successful even if it means giving out free heroin at rehab clinics to addicts. That way the addicts can be registered. This is essentially the system they have in Britain and some other countries for many years.

Why is there so much violence in drugs - because it’s illegal, just like there was violence associated with alcohol during prohibition. By legalizing certain aspects of it the crime rate does go down. Criminals will always find a way to make a living illegally, based upon market demand, but IMO a different approach other than the “war on drugs” is needed because it clearly isn’t working.