Vancouver opens safe-injection site

[George_Bonanza]

I think this is a good step in recognizing that heroin addicts are people with severe medical problems. They're not criminals. They are slaves to their addiction. Beating them or jailing them is not going to help. It's like oxygen for them. Heroin only gives you one high, which is the first time you take it. Then it screws up your brain chemistry so that taking heroin only gets you to a normal body functioning level. Sucks, huh? Heroin addicts are like depressed people, or schizophrenic people. They have a serious medical condition and need to be rehabilitated. They're not criminals. The real criminals that need to be jailed are the dealers and makers.

However, it's not a perfect solution. Addicts under cocaine psychosis or severe mental problems may not even be able to find the injection site. Vancouver has a free needle distribution campaign that failed miserably because the ones who needed it the most couldn't find the vans that handed them out. Vancouver has a dismal amount of HIV infected drug users. This is a dangerous problem that needs to be solved immediately. Safe injection sites are part of the solution, but in no way is it the only one. Simply putting up a safe injection clinic doesn't help the addicts. They need to be rehabilitated so they can, you know, live life again. Being simply content with slowing the tide instead of pushing back is not enough. So I feel this is a good step, but it's only part of a bigger one needed to clean up the HIV epidemic in Downtown East Side, Vancouver.

[Swede]

1. Let's give it a try.

These people need help,not jail,not scorn,not pity. Help.

[HEyHEY]

2. SHit, that was today?

They had morning coverage about it on a local radio station all day, but I missed it.

on edit: that's a morning coverage TODAY ;-)

[Swede]

3. Unless your a borbon swilling shirt and tie reepublicannnn

Then it's an all expenses paid Betty Ford clinic.