Kicking the habit with free heroin

Toronto Star ^ | Feb. 12, 2005. 01:00 AM | Daniel Girard

[Bostton1]

VANCOUVER—Phil Denbak will not yet allow himself to dream of a day when he has broken the grip of heroin, his almost constant companion for more than 25 years.

But he is upbeat about the latest move intended to try to improve the lives of hardcore addicts like him on Vancouver's downtown eastside: free heroin injections. Denbak, 49, is hoping to participate in North America's first prescription heroin trial, which begins here next month before expanding to Toronto and Montreal this spring.

[Bostton1]

This should get pretty interesting.

[standupfortruth]

Can you say Netherlands?

[Thermalseeker]

Call me stupid, but how are free heroin injections for hard core addicts going to help them quit?

Wasn't this tried in Holland a few years ago and it failed miserably?

[Claytay]

I work with a guy who used to be a herion addict and he said it was the threat of spending 20 years in jail(Bush raised the penalty after your third arrest) that finially got him to get clean. Giving an addict free drugs only makes the problem worse.

[dakine]

the grip of heroin, his almost constant companion for more than 25 years.

Not very hard-core, he is still alive...

[sgtbono2002]

I can see why he would be happy ,free Heroin to an addict is a bit like letting a queer be a leader of the boy scouts.

[American in Israel]

You got to be a brain dead drug addict to think you will be free from heroin by injecting it. You want to be free from heroin, you have to become free of heroin.

But with nothing to do but worry about your drug habit and how to finance it, one tends to come up with some pretty intense self justification for your habit.

This is one. Very free sexual training and condoms for school kids to control STD's.

Aids is eradicated now right?

[American in Israel]

er, very much like...

[FITZ]

I hope our drug addicts learn about this --- our problems could be solved.

[krinkrayyado]

Hey, this sounds like a great idea. Maybe we could expand on this.
How about free alcohol for alcoholics? Maybe even free crack for crackheads? Free pornography for sex addicts? Yeah, that's the ticket... How 'bout free tax increases for Democrats?

[Beckwith]

This is good news.

Now, 350,000 hard core American heroin addicts are on their way to Vancouver. They can join the cowards deserting from the military.

Vancouver is going to end up some kind of place?

If there is any question what leftists can do to a country, this answers it. There is a lesson in here for Americans.

[ny demimonde]

i don't give a damn if addicts quit. an addict needing money for his fixes murdered a jeweler here on LI and 2 in connecticut. he also committed a bunch of burglaries (with his girlfriend and his mom as the getaway driver). why???? to feed their habits.

innocent people are being caught in the crossfire between junkies and the failed war on drugs.

[omniscient]

This idea has endless possibilities. How about free money for bank robbers? Another brilliant example of socialist societal engineering.

[Dallas59]

I WANT FREE CIGARETTES!

[yankeedame]

Giving an addict free drugs only makes the problem worse.

Amen. After all, if the idea is that free narcotics will cause an addict to kick the habit, why not free booze to cure the alcoholic?

[Claytay]

Personally I like the idea of FREE cigarettes for smokers.

[Shisan]

In the context of narcotics addiction only, this plan will have a positive effect.
1. It will decrease the transmission of HIV virus and HCV.
2. It will decrease the violent crime associated getting illegal narcotics.
3. It will decrease needle associated illnesses.
4. It will gather all these sick people in one area and let them know of the various detoxification schemes.
5. It beats the phony "war on drugs" run by the gov't.

[ScottFromSpokane]

[Dutch Boy]

I wonder if they guy that thought this up wasn't an ex-ice cream shop worker. I see a lot of kids get jobs at ice cream shop and in six(6) months can't stand the taste of it. Either that or his herion is getting to expensive.

[ny demimonde]

your ideas make too much sense, forget about it.