Taxpayers shouldn’t pay for bad habits

Dear Editor,

I see that Toronto council recently gave approval for three injection sites in Toronto for people with drug addictions to shoot up illegal drugs in a safe manner, all in order to save lives.

Saving lives should be a priority, of course, but how much emphasis is put on these illegal drug users to break the cycle? Just a poster on the wall perhaps.

Do we just keep them safe while they escape from reality with drugs that quite often are acquired through the commission of a crime, so that they can continue to do this over and over again at our expense?

I recently read of a report done covering a survey of drug users quitting the habit that was about 150 years in duration, and not one person died from withdrawal in all those years!

I have also heard many times that quitting smoking is more difficult than quitting heroin. I don’t know about the heroin, but I was a long-term smoker for many years, and after many attempts – without any government assistance, I might add – was able to do just that, and glad I did.

If what they say is true, if I and thousands like me, can do it on our own, why is it so difficult to enable other drug users to kick their habit, with or without government assistance? Why just make it easier for them to break the law?

I just don’t understand why smokers today, using a legal product, are ostracized to such an extent, it almost appears to be a hanging offence, yet illegal drug users seem to be getting more and more help, not to quit their habit, but to carry on safely, at taxpayers’ expense.

Methadone comes to mind in this category also, as it appears that their is no time limit to get clean from your addiction. With this legal drug, it appears to be just another crutch you can use to stumble through life at taxpayers’ expense again.

Me thinks these clinics are a real gold mine for some, and a real money pit for taxpayers.

I guess the next “logical” step will be for taxpayers to be billed for heroin to be supplied at the up and running injection sites to complete the circle, and maybe cut down on crime committed to obtain the drugs? The logic is, we give them what they want, and they won’t have to go to the trouble of stealing it from us. Sounds a lot like extortion to me.

When does the taxpayer get a break from people that have no desire to better their life, but feel entitled to take whatever they can from taxpayers that do go to work everyday to try to get by, with the approval of bleeding heart politicians that instead of encouraging these souls to take a different path, just raise taxes on everybody to cover all the costs associated with this illegal use of drugs, just so they can feel good about themselves?

I am not saying I condone Singapore’s solution to the drug problem, which is by hanging all drug dealers, but there must be some middle ground somewhere instead of just putting all the emphasis on innocent taxpayers all the time.

Russ Horner