Pubdate: Thu, 16 Nov 2017
Source: Nanaimo News Bulletin (CN BC)
Copyright: 2017, BC Newspaper Group
Contact:  http://www.nanaimobulletin.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/948
Authors: John and Jennifer Hedican

TRY DECRIMINALIZING OPIATES

To the editor,

Re: Providing drugs would curb crime, Letters, Nov. 9.

The question is not when our government will decriminalize personal
possession and provide a safe clean drug source, like we do for
alcohol and soon to be marijuana, but how many more families will be
devastated with the loss of a loved one before a government is brave
enough to value lives over votes.

In Portugal, possession is not a criminal offence if you have a 10-day
personal supply in your possession. By decriminalizing personal
possession, we can then start to rid the negative stigma that is
associated with addiction.

People are being poisoned and dying due to a clean source not being
available.

Research has shown that people can lead normal lives and positively
contribute to society if clean drugs are available.

Clean marijuana will be legal and offered for sale soon, just like
alcohol. Our oldest son first experimented with alcohol and then
marijuana. These gateway drugs led to him to using stronger drugs,
ending with heroin and his tragic death from a fentanyl poisoning
April 24, 2017.

How can our system legalize certain drugs and then when people become
addicted to stronger ones, they are then treated as criminals for
simple possession? How come we provide safe injection sites yet it is
illegal to have those substances in your possession?

With this current poisoning crisis, we know what will make a
difference: Provide a safe, clean source for opiates and other drugs,
decriminalize personal possession, like Portugal did, end the stigma
of addiction by treating it as the disease it is, not as a choice.

These things can stop the horrific and inexcusable number of deaths in
our families.

Contact your MP and MLA to tell our governments to do these things,
and save lives, now.

John and Jennifer Hedican, Courtenay
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MAP posted-by: Matt