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Medical voices not the only ones that count in safe injection debate

Public has right to comment and critique safe injection sites

I rarely get angry enough to write a letter to the editor but the quote and stand of Dr. Marc Greidanus in the article of April 21 regarding safe injection sites stoked my flames. Dr. Greidanus is a proponent of these sites. Fine. That is his right in a country that upholds free speech.

But apparently Dr. G doesn’t feel that the rest of us are entitled to that right.

The survey sent out by MP Mark Strahl was not propaganda. It contained simple questions about a topic that is a concern to constituents in his riding. (Imagine the nerve! An elected official asking input from his constituents.) I am not a supporter of Mr. Strahl—sorry Mark, I’ve never voted for you—but I think that it’s a good idea for elected officials to ask their constituents for input. That’s part of democracy.

And so is free speech. The response Mr. Strahl received constitutes a form of freedom of speech.

But Dr. G doesn’t feel that you or I are entitled to disagree with him. His quote states, “Health care policy should be dictated by health care professionals, not by public opinion.” Note the word “dictated” in his statement.

So, in a democracy, Dr. G feels that public opinion shouldn’t count. We are all either so stupid or uninformed that we must be “dictated” to by professionals such as him. And if you disagree with him, then your opinion is “propaganda.” (See his comments in the article regarding the survey.)

He goes on to tell us that his approach is scientifically proven and that alone slams the door closed on discussion. No debate shall be tolerated.

A fellow supporter of the approach, Councillor Ken Popove says that it has been working well for years in Europe and that through CHC, you and I will be convinced. (I notice that elected official Ken Popove is allowed the right of free speech because his opinion agrees with Dr. G while elected official Mark Strahl, who disagrees, is spouting “propaganda.”)

The results are not as clear-cut as some would have you believe. Proponents in Europe trumpet its success with amazing statistics while opponents show us growing problems and offer radically different numbers for those same statistics. Somewhere between these two extremes is a truth that needs to be found… and a number of responsible journalists over there have done the sort of digging we expect from a free press to try to find a more objective truth. I find it interesting that several of those journalists came under fire from the politically-correct crowd for daring to disagree in even the smallest way with the politically-implemented solution.

(If that sounds familiar, I ask you to look again at the response of Dr. Greidanus to a simple public survey.)

Yes, I have my own opinions on the subject. I feel that safe injection sites are a form of enabling addiction, not encouraging people to break free and regain their lives. I find the hypocrisy of health care professionals helping addicts to remain trapped in addiction offends me. And using phrases like “holistic approach” does not make it more logical or less hypocritical.

I find the double-standard ridiculous. If your neighbour declared his home a safe injection site and invited people over to do illegal drugs, the police would raid the place and arrest them (as they should). But if “health care professionals” convince the government to create such a place, then shooting up is not a crime in that place and the police must ignore the violation of the law.

But most of all, I am offended by the arrogance of a “health care official” telling you and I that we are not entitled to have or express an opinion if it disagrees with his.

I encourage each of you to educate yourself on this topic. There are legitimate sources of information on the Internet and elsewhere about safe injection sites already in place in Europe. There is indeed scientific research and analysis on the subject… but contrary to Dr. G’s claims, it does not all support his stand. (But then, the research that disagrees must be “propaganda”… right Dr. G?) I encourage all of you to find out more about this topic that will affect you, your family and your community.

And whether you agree with me or Dr. G or have another opinion altogether, I encourage you to speak it loudly. Because the freedom to express yourself and the freedom to debate are the essence of freedom of speech in a democratic country. Do not let any “officials” of any kind tell you what you are allowed to think or say. Do not let them silence you.

Darrel Duckworth