A16 THE VANCOUVER SUN THE EDITORIAL PAGE FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2007 GRAHAM HARROP’S VIEWPOINT Published by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc. 1 – 200 Granville Street, Vancouver, B.C., V6C 3N3 KEVIN D. BENT President and Publisher PATRICIA GRAHAM Editor-in-Chief KIRK LAPOINTE Managing Editor • FAZIL MIHLAR Editorial Page Editor HAROLD MUNRO Deputy Managing Editor • STEWART MUIR Deputy Managing Editor VALERIE CASSELTON Executive Editor THE NEWSPAPER’S VIEW New study showing Insite’s role in getting addicts into treatment should silence critics s the evidence mounts, it’s since, for some people at least, it becoming harder and harder for seems to be doing the exact opposite. Adetractors to condemn Insite, Insite is therefore not only a powerful Vancouver’s supervised injection harm-reduction measure, but is also facility. an important adjunct to treatment. We already knew, thanks to studies This in turns means that the Con- published in the world’s top peer- servative government, which is due to reviewed medical and scientific jour- release its anti-drug strategy next nals, that the site is associated with week, no longer has a valid objection many positive outcomes: Insite has to Insite or to developing supervised been attracting the most high risk injection facilities elsewhere across users, has helped quell public disor- the country. der and has reduced needle sharing. After all, when Health Minister Despite all of this positive evidence, Tony Clement last year announced detractors have continued accusing the deferral of the Insite of “facilitating” drug use, and decision to extend have argued that it doesn’t help peo- Insite’s exemption ple to get off drugs. Now, with the lat- to operate, he said, est study by researchers at the B.C. “Do safe injection Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, sites contribute to published in the current issue of the lowering drug use VOICE OF THE PEOPLE top-ranked substance abuse journal and fighting addic- Addiction, it’s time to put those objec- tion? ... Given the tions to rest. need for more Drivers treated injured dog like garbage taken off the air. In fact, every major The study built on a previous facts, I am unable media outlet in the country is vehe- paper in the New England Journal of to approve the cur- I was driving to work on Tuesday morning, westbound on 88th Avenue mently opposed Medicine, which found that regular rent request to between 184th and 176th in Surrey, when I saw a poor little beagle flailing to Chavez, as use of Insite and contact with Insite’s Tony Clement extend the Van- around in the middle of the eastbound lane, howling in agony. Obviously, he anyone who has addiction counsellor were each inde- couver site for had broken hind leg(s), but the cars simply drove around him. Who knows been to the coun- pendently associated with entry into another three-and-a-half years.” how long he had been there begging for help? try knows. RCTV residential detoxification programs. Now Clement has more facts, as the I rushed him to the vet. Unfortunately, it was too late. I’d like to thank the workers partici- The study begins by noting that the Addiction study answers his two gentleman in the BMW who stopped to help me put the dog in my car and all pated in an number of individuals entering detox questions in the affirmative. So he has the women at the All About Pet Clinic in Langley who did what they could for attempted coup rose 30 per cent in the year following no reason not to extend Insite’s life, the beagle. against the demo- Insite’s opening. Researchers then and to ensure that supervised injec- I was appalled by those who just drove by the injured dog, as if he were a cratically elected assessed a random group of 1,031 indi- tion facilities (SIFs) form an integral garbage bag. Have they no conscience? How could they show so little compas- government. viduals who used Insite, and found part of the government’s anti-drug sion? This was someone’s family member, someone’s best friend. I hope these They don’t that entry into detox was associated strategy. drivers think about that dog every time they look in the mirror. belong on the air- independently with entry into Or as University of California San I’d like the dog’s owner to know that he didn’t die alone on the side of the Mike Palecek waves, they methadone maintenance and other Diego Medical School professors Stef- cold, dirty road; he died with a loving touch, in the presence of those who did belong in prison. addiction treatment programs. fanie Strathdee and Robin Pollini put what they could to save his life, no matter how insignificant it was to those I would encourage readers to see This suggests that Insite is helping it in an Addiction editorial accompa- who kept driving past him. www.handsoffvenezuela.org for to get people into long-term treat- nying the study: more information. ment, thereby reducing or ending “It is time for politicians who LISA NICHOLS their drug use. And many of the peo- oppose SIFs on the grounds that more Langley MIKE PALECEK ple Insite helps are, as the study’s research is needed to be honest with Vancouver authors note, “extremely difficult to their constituents: it is lack of politi- reach with conventional treatment cal will, not lack of data, that is keep- Right to breathe trumps stand. After witnessing the devastat- FSA analysis has strategies.” ing these life-saving public health ser- ing impact of this child’s death, I no scientific credibility This study also puts a lie to the vices out of the hands of drug-depen- addiction to nicotine hope students will take something claim that Insite facilitates drug use dent citizens.” Re: Lawsuit filed in condo smoking positive from this very negative situ- Re: School rankings take into ✒ battle, Westcoast News, May 25 ation and choose to live more peace- account test participation, Elemen- In the 21st century, with all we fully among their peers. My heart tary School Report Card, May 19 know about secondhand smoke, why goes out to both the victims and Whether or not you agree with Base Parliament’s makeup is Maureen Nicholson’s lawsuit even offender’s families. standardized testing of children necessary? It is self-evident that the such as the Foundation Skills right to a smoke-free home trumps RITU GILL Assessment, there is one aspect that on population, not politics convenient access to an obnoxious Surrey is critical — that the analysis of the and harmful recreational drug. test results is scientifically valid and he simple notion of representa- Edward Island benefits the most. In Furthermore, if Claire Bellwood’s Protesters divert attention objective. This ensures that the con- tion by population has always total number of extra seats, Quebec neighbours have to tolerate her nox- from their cause clusions are supported by the test Tbeen compromised in Canada has been the big winner with seven ious fumes and the fire hazard she data. As a scientist, I am appalled at by regional interests. more than it deserves. creates, they are entitled to let her Re: Police review actions of TV the approach used in the Fraser Instead of a simple mathematical The Conservative government’s lat- know how her behaviour affects crew at office protest, May 24 Institute’s analysis of FSA results. In equation that assigns seats in Parlia- est attempt to rebalance the House of them. If legitimate complaints upset One must hope that those who it, students who did not sit the test ment based on the number of people Commons, Bill C-56, which was given her, her problem is with addiction, trashed Premier Gordon Campbell’s were assigned a zero score. Essen- who live in each province, the way first reading earlier this month, not the complainant. office stopped to realize that they, in tially fictitious data was introduced power is shared is warped by politics should allow B.C. and Alberta to There are more of us rooting for fact, trashed every taxpayer in this into the analysis; for some schools and history. maintain relatively the same clout we Nicholson than she could possibly province. the final ranking is based on 30-per- Since before Confederation, law- have now as our populations grow. guess, and she is inspiring others to cent made-up data. Such analysis makers in Ottawa have been trying to It also pulls Quebec back closer to stand up for their rights. (I am an I. BILL GRUENTHAL would never be accepted for publi- Burnaby maintain a fair balance between the level it deserves, much to the cha- asthmatic who has been forced to ❐ cation in a quality scientific journal. numerical equivalency and historic grin of the Bloc Quebecois, which move six times because of smoking I would recommend that The Van- regional interests as provinces have argues that fair treatment is not good neighbours.) Why would a serious newspaper couver Sun refuse to publish the been added and populations waxed enough for its province. Who knows, maybe in 20 years we devote one speck of ink to David FSA-based rankings until this and waned. But the projections done by the will have a government capable of Cunningham, a self-indulgent for- approach of assigning zero scores to Generally speaking, the changes Ontario government show it will fall grasping that being able to breathe mer dug addict who advocates crim- students who did not take the test is have favoured the interests of regions increasingly farther behind.