Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program Monday, March 14, 2005

VANCOUVER, British Columbia ? Just over the United States northwest border, addicts will soon be able to get their fix from the Canadian government in the form of free heroin administered by nurses and doctors on the taxpayer's dime.

"They're using heroin. They'll continue to use heroin. What we're trying to do is prevent them from getting something irreversible like HIV, hep [hepatitis] C and overdose death,? said Dr. Martin Schechter, the director of the heroin program.

Vancouver is the first city to take part in the North American Opiate Medication Initiative, which plans to enroll 470 participants at three sites in Canada. The Toronto and Montreal sites are expected to begin recruiting candidates this spring.

Vancouver Police Chief Jamie Graham (search) is among supporters who say the heroin giveaway will let junkies shoot up without having to resort to theft or prostitution to buy their drugs. Breaking that cycle of crime, they argue, is the first step toward turning an addict's life around.

?I?m not a medical expert, this is not my field. I'm an expert in public safety," Graham said. "And if this will help reduce the crime rate ? I'm all for it."

In the program all addicts have to do to get their fix is show up three times a day seven days a week.

Junkies offered different views of the program to FOX News. Some think it's the government's way of killing them, while others say they can't wait for the free dope. But none of them thought it would eventually get them clean.

"I think it would lower the crime rate. Nobody's gonna be robbing each other. Nobody's going to be sick enough to rob each other. All be taken care of. Free dope, woo-hoo,? said heroin addict Olivia Edgars.

Recovered addict Chuck Swesey - who's been clean 20 years - says the program smacks of government drug pushing. He says he knows how he would've ended under a program like this: "I'd be dead ... or I'd be in a jail or an institution."

The $8 million Canadian program is patterned after similar efforts in Europe

can't they think of any better way to waste money? :shock:

Re: Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program

fuck em. that shite is no good. i hope the nurses OD all the crackheads. you shouldnt be paying for someone else's addiction. you should just go put some anti freeze in the needle, save yourself some money in the long run

Re: Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program

I think it's a stupid idea (yes, I'm from the nation considered most progressive in Europe), the least they should do is combine it with a detox and re?ntegration programme, and set demands. If you don't live up to certain goals in the programme, you're out and go to jail, just to encourage you to go through it. Now it's just gonna be lame ass junkies getting free dope, and still rotting away from society, not even contemplating changing their lives.

It is in fact, approval of their addiction and way of life.

I'd rather see the govt. spend that amount on some real detox programmes: there's one in which they keep you sedated while your body is getting rid of all the shit, so you don't have this psychotic fit when you're getting off the addiction cold turkey. Seems to be the most effective way so far, and quick too.

That way the problem is recognized, but the bahiour not approved of.

Re: Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program

they sholdnt do any of that.

they fucked thier own lives up. i mean, kids are different, but why the hell are you gonna let some base head spend your money. let them just be and maybe , just maybe, they will stop breeding. i know its sad and rash, but why?

Re: Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program

[quote=thesightless]they sholdnt do any of that.

they fucked thier own lives up. i mean, kids are different, but why the hell are you gonna let some base head spend your money. let them just be and maybe , just maybe, they will stop breeding. i know its sad and rash, but why?[/quote]

Actually there are some positive sides to a programme like this, regardless of your let them be attitude thesightless!

Of all the drugs people use or abuse, smack and crack are by far the most damaging on society. Whilst dealers think nothing of giving you some 'gratis' to get you hooked, once hooked one finds that ones addiction is bloody expensive.

Therefore abusers turn to crime to pay for their addiction and their dealers. Remove the dealers from the equation and you will see a number of things; less people overdosing or dropping down dead from drugs that have been mixed with rat poison and god knows what else, a decrease in the drugs related crime rate, less people (long term) using and abusing these drugs.

Although i might not be too charitable towards the abusers of today, i worry about the abusers of tomorrow and how their lives will be ruined. I genuinely believe that once the dealers are out of the picture we will probably see the demise in the usage of such narcotics!

Just my 2 shekels worth!

Re: Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program

i take it you mean young kids by the "users of tomorrow"

in that case, you need to SMACK the shit out of the kids. our parents generations never pulled half the shit our does. they were afraid to. god if your parents got yelled at in chool when they were young they got it from both mom and dad when they got home. now we have parents claiming its outside influences. NO, its NOT> its your LACK OF PARENTING. GET involved. dont be afraid to tell your kids to get the belt and wait in the bedroom for you.. lack of parenting leads to kids going astray

Re: Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program

[quote=thesightless] in that case, you need to SMACK the shit out of the kids. our parents generations never pulled half the shit our does. they were afraid to. god if your parents got yelled at in chool when they were young they got it from both mom and dad when they got home. now we have parents claiming its outside influences. NO, its NOT> its your LACK OF PARENTING. GET involved. dont be afraid to tell your kids to get the belt and wait in the bedroom for you.. lack of parenting leads to kids going astray[/quote]

Dear god please tell me you don't have any children! :twisted:

not yet. but when i do...... if i even suspect something like this, its a drug test first, then the grounding of thier lives.. smack the shit outta them and lockdown. im dead serious. then i would find out where they got it from and go after them. either through the police or my glock.

Re: Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program

Damn that is a big risk for vancouver. But it might pay off in the future. Like people said previously it might prevent future problems. But for right it is hard to say about taxpayers paying for someone else to get high. I mean I work my ass off to get what I have. The thought of some low life being able to get high off my tax money kinda pisses me off. But the other side of the picture I am all for giving people another chance in life and maybe by doing this it will help people get off of herion or crack.

Re: Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program

[quote=thesightless]i take it you mean young kids by the "users of tomorrow"

in that case, you need to SMACK the shit out of the kids. our parents generations never pulled half the shit our does. they were afraid to. god if your parents got yelled at in chool when they were young they got it from both mom and dad when they got home. now we have parents claiming its outside influences. NO, its NOT> its your LACK OF PARENTING. GET involved. dont be afraid to tell your kids to get the belt and wait in the bedroom for you.. lack of parenting leads to kids going astray[/quote]

so true, i can't wait to tell my kid to go to the closet to get the belt so i could beat him with it. i always remember the pta meeting at school, my father used to take me and give the teacher permishion to smack me if i get out of line..ah those where the days.

Re: Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program

Whoopass okay, but no belt...it's not an animal. (Am I taking those remarks too serious?)

Re: Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program

[quote=thesightless]fuck em. that shite is no good. i hope the nurses OD all the crackheads. you shouldnt be paying for someone else's addiction. you should just go put some anti freeze in the needle, save yourself some money in the long run[/quote]

:Cheerz: :Cheerz: :Bingo: :Bingo: :Respect: :Respect:

Re: Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program

I find this a great idea!

Please show me the success of the current fight against drugs! - Cocain has never been plentier and cheeper (just to mention one signal) ... Drugs will find their way into any country or place because it's driven by people willing to do anything for money - and if the price is right we all are!

Giving people state-supplied drugs is not about supplying them drugs forever and I don't agree that people who use heroin will continue to use it. By giving the addicts heroin they are given a chance to get sorted and not have to commit crimes or whatever to get money for drugs. That good and it's humane.

Economically it's a BRILLIANT idea - how many ressources do you think that the police are using in drug-related crime? - I don't know the answer but it's A HELLUWA lot more than $8 mill. - When you've done that calculation add hospital- and prison expenses to the equation.

Many will argue that state-supplied drugs are about sending the wrong signals. I don't think this is right. Young people will be able to recognise that shooting heroin is the wrong path and in European tests this offer has also been targeted at people who's been heroinaddicts for years. The money saved in this program should definately be used for educating people against using drugs.

I think that we should admit that we've lost the battle against drugs and try something different.

[quote=thesightless]not yet. but when i do...... if i even suspect something like this, its a drug test first, then the grounding of thier lives.. smack the shit outta them and lockdown. im dead serious. then i would find out where they got it from and go after them. either through the police or my glock.[/quote]

I'd hate to be your child. Education is the way not a beating. If you child wants to take drugs then short of you locking them down in their bedrooms there is nothing you can do.

As for the debate, whatever your views. Heroin legally bought is pennies a shot, far cheaper than a burglary which on average costs including the claim about $1500 for every burgalary, each addict polly does 2/3 break ins a week to fund the habit.

I'd rather allow some junkie who [b]chooses[/b] to kill themselves on Heroin paid for by the state, rather than to run round breaking in to house to steal a $50 video player or some jewelrey. Just think of the cost savings, no large state paid medical bills to pay for HIV, Hep C or any other nasties picked up from dirty needles etc.

[quote=Yao]yes, I'm from the nation considered most progressive in Europe[/quote]

i'm surprised at you mate. Holland has the lowest number of heroin addicts in Europe, possible the west, at 2.4 per 1000. The UK has 6.5 per 1000 at the last count. That begs the question WHOSE drug policies are working?

BTW in a study in Brighton a few years ago a study took all the known heroin addicts and gave them free H througfht their local doctor. Burgalries dropped during this period by 75%.

Re: Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program

i love the speach from "Head of State" where chris rock talks about his dad made him afraid to smoke cause he would get a walloping. the previous generations never had these problems on a scale we do now, cause nowadays people are afraid to knock some sense into their kids. shit, if i did herion when i was a teen i hope my parents would have strapped a ankle bracelet monitor onto me. but then again, i knew i would have had the shit kicked outta me and been tossed to the streets. not pitied or felt sorry for cause i did something i damn well knew was stupid.

Re: Vancouver Tries Free Heroin Program

I agree with morgan for sure.

If people want to do heroin I say give it to them. I'd rather they got it legally and it was paid for with tax dollars than them bugging the fuck out of me, trying to steal my shit or trying to scam me somehow to pay for it.
Money is just that ....money. My privacy is much more valuable.