Re: “Opioid crisis requires compassion”, p. 26, March 27 Gazette.
The writer quite rightly states that safe injection sites cut down on disease, overdoses and death.
What he misses is that when there is a blanket decriminalization of drugs, drug use increases. This means that the number of addicts increases.
For example, between 2001 and 2012 in Portugal, the percentage of people who use heroin increased from 0.7 per cent to 1.1 per cent of all the people in Portugal.
At the same time people using safe injection sites increased by 60 per cent. That is 40,000 more Portuguese using heroin than before it was decriminalized, and the risks of a bad outcome were lowered. That is 40,000 more people who have to find money to cover their lifestyle.
If those numbers hold for Canada, decriminalization and safe injection sites would add 140,000 people to those who already must find a way to pay for their habit.
If people know they can get a high without consequences they are more likely to try it. Our condo garage regularly gets broken into. After being broken into for seven days straight, the police have arrested the same man twice in a week. I was told he is released on bail each time, and the latest break-in is added to his tally sheet, for when he goes to court.
Clearly the status quo does not work. I propose long sequential jail sentences for each crime. We send addicts to a new rehab jail, where they get counselling, and are forced to give up drugs.
Maybe spending six months to two years in rehab, with job training and counselling, will do what shorter rehab clinics or regular jails won’t do.
The sequential jail time has the added bonus of maybe letting me go a month without a break-in, and not feeling violated.
- Bob Wilson, Calgary
