BUSINESS SEES BENEFIT IN MAYOR'S DRUG PLAN
Date: Saturday, February 10 @ 21:51:42 PST
Topic: Crystal Meth Society


After 30 years of watching the repeated failure of efforts to combat hard drug addiction and the crimes that accompany it, a former Vancouver police officer believes the mayor's proposed drug substitution treatment program is worth trying.

"If you're getting a legal drug and you're indifferent between a legal drug and the illegal drug, then you don't need to do crime to use the drug," said Dave Jones, a former Vancouver police officer and director of crime prevention services for the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association ( DVBIA ). "That's attractive from the businesses perspective in that that ought to reduce the types of addict crimes that are typical in the downtown area, essentially low order thefts and things of that nature."

The DVBIA dispatched a press release Monday supporting the substitute treatment concept, in which doctors would prescribe legal drugs to drug addicts. Supporters of the proposal hope that with increased stability and medical supervision users will progress into drug treatment.

According to the release, 90 per cent of 566 people arrested by DVBIA loss prevention officers for theft and various disturbances from October 2005 to November 2006 indicated they use street drugs such as crack, heroin and methamphetamine.

Crack cocaine abuse is most rampant, so the key will be to find a substitute drug that's acceptable to those who use it, Jones said. Heroin and crystal meth addiction affects fewer users, although he said many addicts use all three.

Providing addicts with medically approved drugs makes sense, he added, noting the program should appeal to those worried about relatives addicted to drugs.

"If there was a medical model that would give that family member a prescription substitute that would assist in stabilizing their life, keep them from crime and open the door, perhaps, for treatment, I'd be in there and I don't think there's a parent in the world that wouldn't be there."

The money saved in reducing property crime would not be difficult to tally, Jones said, noting the association spends $1 million a year on security and its "ambassador" program.

"The last guy I arrested for theft from auto had just broken into four vehicles. He did $2,000 worth of damage to those vehicles and he got $4.12. Based on that, he would have to break into another four cars to make the eight bucks to get the rock. So, do the math," he said.

Jones sees the drug substitution program working in tandem with community courts that will steer addicts into drug treatment and maintenance programs, housing and mental health services.

"What you're saying is, we're giving you a choice," he said. "You can get on a prescription drug treatment model as a replacement drug or you can go to jail, but you're not going back on the street the way you are."

The consultant working with the mayor expects to forward a proposal seeking an exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act this month. Project organizers hope to include up to 800 users.





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