Pubdate: Fri, 22 Jul 2016
Source: Surrey Leader (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Surrey Leader
Contact:  http://www.surreyleader.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1236
Author: Richard Griffin:

HOW DO YOU PUT PRICE ON HUMAN LIFE?

I read about the number of overdoses in the Whalley area of Surrey.

I am a recovering addict and I know only too well how dangerous it is 
doing drugs by yourself. You tend to hide and do them in private.

Now with all the stuff that is mixed in with drugs, it is even more 
dangerous. I cleaned up 11 years ago, but I used to be one of the 
many homeless and addicted wandering the streets of Surrey. I used to 
hide in fields, old abandoned houses and buildings to inject my drugs.

I think there should be a safe injection site in Surrey like the one 
in Vancouver. Sure they will talk about it, but it should be done 
right away. They will talk about costs and location, but in the 
meantime, how do you put a price on a human life?

It should be done ASAP. What usually happens is someone has to die or 
many have to die and the health administration says "if only we had 
something sooner."

I have a daughter and granddaughter that are actively using heroin 
and crack. They live in a house with many people that all do drugs. 
My daughter tells me that they go through about five or six Narcan 
kits a month, so that is 10 to 12 people a month overdosing.

Maybe this letter might spark some interest in the people that make 
decisions, such as opening up a safe injection site right away 
instead of having a long, drawn-out discussion about where the money 
is going to come from.

I am sure if it were one of their relatives, they might work real 
hard to open one up. It always seem to be that when something happens 
to a person that has some authority in government it becomes big news.

People are people whether rich or poor. I worry every night that I 
may get a call from the police or hospital telling me that my 
daughter or granddaughter have been found dead due to an overdose.

Richard Griffin

Surrey
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