Addicted to Red Tape (British Columbia, Canada)

Permission denied, again and again. Open a treatment centre? 'No' is the official habit.

By David Berner

TheTyee.ca
People have tried. But governments, one after another, year after year, have resisted. Drug treatment just isn't sexy.

I'll show you.

The Vancouver Sun newspaper reported recently that Victoria has one treatment bed for young crystal meth addicts. One.

A parents group called "From Grief to Action" has cried out publicly for several years now that there are no facilities for their addicted children. The home base of this group is Kerrisdale. For those who can afford it, the children are often sent to centres in America.

We are told repeatedly by the politicians that we enjoy in this province "Four Pillars" of response to the problem: harm reduction, enforcement, prevention and treatment. But it is abundantly clear to even the most rosy-eyed believer among us that what we have is one pillar and three match sticks. Harm reduction, in the form of safe injection sites, needle exchanges and free heroin programs, rule. Enforcement, prevention and treatment are given short shrift and even less money.

Thank God then for the entrepreneurial spirit.

Three very wealthy people have, in recent years, tried to launch treatment programs for young addicts in this province. They have put their own considerable financial resources behind their goals. They have put their money where their mouths are and where your mouth is and where the mouths of citizens are.

That's the good news.

Here's the bad news. Two have walked away, frustrated and empty-handed. The third has folded his tent and moved to another, more accommodating district.

The rest of the story at:
http://thetyee.ca/Views/2006/04/19/AddictedRedTape/