Irony....or the results of busybodies in action

[Obvious Li]

The government should provide taxpayer-funded hotel/motel rooms for anyone who has been drinking or at the very least, free taxis. Let's face it, even though impaired driving is against the law, that policy just isn't working. We all know you can't force all the people who drink and drive to change ....they have to want it.

You are comparing apples to oranges. If heroin addicts were shooting up and then getting behind the wheel it would be a fair comparison.



Insite appears in peer-reviewed studies, but that does not mean it is free from error. If an article appears in a journal and is said to have been "peer-reviewed" it does not mean that the person reviewing the work has reconstructed all experiments to make sure everything is as claimed. The system of peer review can be just as biased, misleading, incomplete or just plain wrong. Journalists seem to see peer-review as a divine creed.

bro......WTF are you talking about..........the issue is whether the state should sanction criminal activity or not...and if it is ok to sanction one type of criminal activity them why not all criminal activity....you see, SL wants the govt. to provide a taxi home for her or free accommodations after she has been drinking....because when she drinks she cannot be held accountable for her actions and is therefore not guilty of any crime that may result from her drinking......according to govt. logic they should agree......apples to fucking apples  ac_beating

[Anonymous]

InSite allows people to enter a government backed facility and use street drugs that they have purchased on the street, drugs that could have anything mixed in, and shoot those illegal drugs into their veins. The addict then leaves the facility and heads back out on the street.



Do they get their next fix there? Some might, some won't and others will share dirty needles elsewhere in the city. This isn't a completely controlled environment and at the end of the day these are street drugs we are allowing people to shoot.



This is not treatment, it is enabling a bunch of addicts.

[ghost]

I hope everyone of those junkies who overdosed dies.  ac_drinks

My little 22 year old second cousin is a junkie.



She's schizophrenic. Sadly, the system has failed her. She's never gotten the help she so desperately needs.

[Anonymous]

I hope everyone of those junkies who overdosed dies.  ac_drinks

My little 22 year old second cousin is a junkie.



She's schizophrenic. Sadly, the system has failed her. She's never gotten the help she so desperately needs.

That is terrible ghost.

  ac_crying

I could only imagine the pain her loved ones must feel not to mention the worry..



I pray some kind soul with the knowledge and resources will intervene on her behalf.

[ghost]

I pray some kind soul with the knowledge and resources will intervene on her behalf.

It upsets me when people make comments about junkies as if they're not human.



I took my little cousin trick or treating when she was little. I took her to dance classes. We used to dress up and play Spice Girls.



She's been troubled ever since she was little. She has violent tendencies, heard voices, and had no concept of reality. She once asked me why girls loved Leonardo Dicaprio so much because he drowned on the Titanic. She can't distinguish real life from fantasy.



For the past four years, she's been part of a government sponsorship. They provide housing, meals, basically giving her a place to live that's off the streets. During this time, she had a baby whom my cousin is now raising. Thankfully, she did manage to get off the drugs through most of the pregnancy and the baby seems healthy so far.



So yes, government programs have helped keep her off the streets. Sadly, it's minimal help and she needs more.



She was picked up a month ago, wandering through UBC, screaming about voices and people trying to kill her. She's been finally admitted into the hospital where she's been receiving proper treatment for the first time in her life. We are all being hopeful.

[Anonymous]

Sorry for your family's pain ghost, but unlike Gene Simmons, I stand by my comments.

Simmons advises people suffering from depression and drug addiction to commit suicide



Kiss bass player said he had no time for 'anybody who's a drug addict and has a dark cloud over their heads'

He trivializes people suffering mental illness by saying they have no idea what a harsh life is, unlike his Holocaust survivor grandmother.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2726251/Have-dignity-jump-Gene-Simmons-advises-people-suffering-depression-drug-addiction-commit-suicide.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... icide.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2726251/Have-dignity-jump-Gene-Simmons-advises-people-suffering-depression-drug-addiction-commit-suicide.html

He has since apologized, but hey, I am not a celebutard....I am free to speak my mind without feeling pressured to recant.

[Romero]

It's been a major flaw in Obvious and Shen Li's logic and character. They are incapable of understanding something unless it affects them.



Drug addicts don't choose to be drug addicts. The homeless don't choose to be homeless and the mentally ill don't choose to be mentally ill. Especially among Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, many have suffered and are suffering from abuse and mental illness through no fault of their own. It's easy to say they shouldn't be addicted to drugs, yet there are millions of average North Americans abusing prescription drugs.



Imagine if a family member or friend was suffering from depression or mental illness and became addicted to drugs. It can happen to anyone because it does happen. Now imagine if a health professional told them "I hope you die".



You'd be disgusted and sickened by your very own words.

[Anonymous]

It's been a major flaw in Obvious and Shen Li's logic and character. They are incapable of understanding something unless it affects them.



Drug addicts don't choose to be drug addicts. The homeless don't choose to be homeless and the mentally ill don't choose to be mentally ill. Especially among Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, many have suffered and are suffering from abuse and mental illness through no fault of their own. It's easy to say they shouldn't be addicted to drugs, yet there are millions of average North Americans abusing prescription drugs.



Imagine if a family member or friend was suffering from depression or mental illness and became addicted to drugs. It can happen to anyone because it does happen. Now imagine if a health professional told them "I hope you die".



You'd be disgusted and sickened by your very own words.

If a person wants to smoke poison or stick it in their fucking veins that is their business. When I am forced to pay for their poison, that is mine.

[Romero]

Insite doesn't provide drugs. Funding provides harm reduction and treatment. Insite is saving taxpayer money.

[Obvious Li]

It's been a major flaw in Obvious and Shen Li's logic and character. They are incapable of understanding something unless it affects them.



Drug addicts don't choose to be drug addicts. The homeless don't choose to be homeless and the mentally ill don't choose to be mentally ill. Especially among Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, many have suffered and are suffering from abuse and mental illness through no fault of their own. It's easy to say they shouldn't be addicted to drugs, yet there are millions of average North Americans abusing prescription drugs.



Imagine if a family member or friend was suffering from depression or mental illness and became addicted to drugs. It can happen to anyone because it does happen. Now imagine if a health professional told them "I hope you die".



You'd be disgusted and sickened by your very own words.

sorry homy.....wrong again.......all those issues you mentioned should be handled within the family.....the state has no business stealing my tax dollars to give to some drug dealer of schizo....if the family is unwilling or unable then i guess it's tough shit.....we had state nuthouses up until 20 years ago....but you progressives closed them all down...proud of yourselves now homy

[ghost]

sorry homy.....wrong again.......all those issues you mentioned should be handled within the family.....the state has no business stealing my tax dollars to give to some drug dealer of schizo....if the family is unwilling or unable then i guess it's tough shit.....we had state nuthouses up until 20 years ago....but you progressives closed them all down...proud of yourselves now homy

How are families responsible for full grown adults? What about people who don't have families?



Mental illness is a disease. It's a chemical imbalance in the brain, no different than say diabetes or heart disease.



There's a reason why the majority of psychiatric hospitals closed down in the 60's and 70's. It was because of the cruelty and useless treatment methods. Just like how the mentally challenged people are no longer put in hospitals, neither are mentally ill. These people don't need to be locked away. They need treatment and a place to live. That's where the funding falls short.

[Romero]

sorry homy.....wrong again.......all those issues you mentioned should be handled within the family.....the state has no business stealing my tax dollars to give to some drug dealer of schizo....if the family is unwilling or unable then i guess it's tough shit.....we had state nuthouses up until 20 years ago....but you progressives closed them all down...proud of yourselves now homy

Yep, incapable of understanding unless it affects them.



Family support can be great but it can't work alone. Telling the addicted or mentally ill not to be addicted or mentally ill is like telling people not to eat or breathe.



These people need medical and professional help. As I've shown, Insite saves taxpayer money. "Tough shit" costs more and uses more resources. Trying to sweep problems under the rug has never worked.



Most of those on the Downtown Eastside have no family to turn to. Thinking of the first thing that pops into your head isn't a solution.



Progressives didn't close down mental institutions. We're the ones who care about the mentally ill, unlike yourself. It's been both left and right wing governments. Governments deciding there's not enough money to look after those who need it the most. Let someone else deal with it. Just the way you like it!

[Obvious Li]

Homy...some families/people just get dealt the short hand..that's life, tough as it is.....the state cannot cover for everyone who doesn't make the grade....at best they should provide a place to house and care for those less fortunate (which they did) and at worst it should be left up to the family to provide.....all life is part "luck of the draw" and a lot of "you make your own bed".......being your brothers keepers has limits.....no state can survive the costs of being everything to everyone.....not possible

[RW]

If a person wants to smoke poison or stick it in their fucking veins that is their business. When I am forced to pay for their poison, that is mine.

As stated, you aren't paying for their poison.  That said, because we have a universal health care system, every time a drug user gets sick, overdoses, gets AIDS, etc, it burdens our health system which I am sure costs us a lot more than a needle exchange.

[Romero]

Homy...some families/people just get dealt the short hand..that's life, tough as it is.....the state cannot cover for everyone who doesn't make the grade....at best they should provide a place to house and care for those less fortunate (which they did) and at worst it should be left up to the family to provide.....all life is part "luck of the draw" and a lot of "you make your own bed".......being your brothers keepers has limits.....no state can survive the costs of being everything to everyone.....not possible

We've tried allowing them to overdose and die in the streets. It was fail, and it cost more in money and resources.



Taking care of addictions and overdoses on site equals people getting help for their addictions and less pressure on health care and policing.



The state can't be everything for everyone but it's always best to mitigate problems. You may not care about drug addicts dying but you should at least understand that Insite does indeed save money and resources.