Back in January I had a letter in this paper about how Christy Clark’s solution to homelessness of opening a temporary shelter was a half-baked non-solution; a Band-aid akin to Red Green fixing every problem with duct tape.
Well, I feel the same about her Band-aid solution to drug overdoses: temporary injection sites to use illegal drugs which would get them arrested if they were using the same drugs a mere 20 feet away. This is temporary until when? After the next provincial election?
Attacking the root of the issue by making access to registered clinical counsellors that would be covered by MSP to help addicts overcome their drug addictions is the way to go.
Whether they are addicted to booze or heroin, cocaine or pornography or gambling, helping addicts off their addiction by making counselling more accessible is the answer.
It is cheaper in the long run than cleaning up the mess afterwards. An ounce of prevention is worth 100 pounds of cure.
Andre Mollon
Langford