I was happy to read Kevin Monahan’s letter of Jan. 10. I concur entirely regarding his sentiments on the subject of withholding assistance to an addict that has overdosed.
I was then saddened and appalled to read Vivian Field’s letter of Jan. 10 in which she says that she agrees with Anthonie Den Boef’s opinion in his letter to the editor on Dec. 29.
You might be surprised to know that among the ordinary citizens there are also addicts. Addiction is a disease and there are many working people, yes, even professional people such as lawyers and doctors, that have the disease of addiction.
So how is one to decide who is worthy of receiving help if they are overdosing? If there is a person in a suit, lying beside an expensive vehicle on the sidewalk who is clearly in medical distress, would you automatically call for help for that person? I think you would.
If there was a person that was not well dressed and had a shopping cart beside them with their possessions in it and they were lying on the pavement needing medical assistance, would you call for help for them? I think not — based purely on the way the person looked.
Safe injection sites are not set up to rehabilitate, they are set up to try and stem the spread of infectious diseases such as Hep C and HIV. Addiction is not a choice, it is a disease, and addicts need treatment, if and when they decide they want help.
How does one go about accepting the consequences of perhaps many deaths happening when the choice was made not to help an addict that was overdosing in front of us?
If that person happened to be someone you knew, a friend, or son or daughter or other relative, what would you do then? Leave the person to die? I don’t think so. Some have suggested in letters to the editor that they be delivered to a facility where they have no access to drugs and where they will be rehabilitated. Addicts are not a package to be delivered anywhere. They are living, breathing people.
The reality is that there is a major shortage of residential treatment centres in B.C., unless you have a lot of money and are able to pay for treatment.
I never met anyone, when asked the question, what do you want to be when you grow up?, that answered: “a drug addict.” Think about that for a minute and then decide if you could walk by someone lying on the street overdosing.
Teresa Shore
Parksville
