The crack kit program distributes free drug paraphernalia to crack users. The kits contain items that reduce the spread of disease among addicts. The program is funded, at least in part, by the City of Ottawa.
It’s controversial.
Those who oppose the program argue that it condones and encourages drug use, adds to the problem of addiction in our community, and is a misuse of taxpayers’ money.
Those who support the program argue that addiction is a public health issue, crack addicts are going to smoke crack with or without the kits, the kits help prevent the spread of Hepatitis and HIV in our community, and it’s cheaper to prevent disease than it is to treat it. They also claim the program fosters contact between addicts and the health care system in a safe, non-judgemental way, which makes it more likely that addicts will seek treatment for any number of health concerns (eg pregnancy, infections, injuries, addictions treatment).
The crack kit program has an estimated annual cost of $2,500: approximately $2 per participant per year. The lifetime cost of treating an HIV patient is between $150,000 and $500,000.
There are an estimated 3,300-5,000 injection drug users in town, about 80 percent of whom also smoke crack cocaine. Roughly 75-80 percent of injection drug users have hepatitis C, and approximately 20 percent have HIV. Many drug addicts are active in the commercial sex trade, as prostitutes or in exchanging sex for drugs.
After a heated debate that pitted the Medical Officer of Health against the Chief of Police, Ottawa City Council voted in May 2005 to approve the distribution of crack kits to adult drug users. The debate also drew attention to the fact that Ottawa lacks resources and treatment options for drug users. Our new mayor, Larry O’Brien, wants to eliminate the program.
What do I think? I’m not against recreational drugs in general, but I hate what crack does to people. I’ve known people who became crack addicts, and it’s not pretty. If I thought the crack kit program in any way contributed to the problem of crack addiction in Ottawa, I’d say scrap it. The crack kit program is not the ideal solution, but it does some good – it promotes safer crack-using behaviour, thus helping to slow the spread of deadly diseases among the vulnerable population of addicts and the non-addicted people they might be having sex with. I think we should keep doing this while we wait for someone to come up with the ideal solution, because it’s better than nothing.
The amount of money we’re talking about – $2500 a year – is so insignificant that it’s obvious this proposed spending cut is not about the money, it’s about morality. It boils down to this question: is a crack addict’s life worth $2 a year?
I’m a big fan of initiatives like this. Thanks for showing us the inside of a crack kit – very educational! Things like lip balm and gum would have never occurred to me.
And make sure your councillor knows your opinion. You can e-mail him or her and you may well get an answer. I think I remember that we’re in the same ward. Ms McRae generally answers me, and she’s good about passing along requests to the right City dept.
Yes, a crack addict’s life is worth $2.
[…] What the hell is the matter with Ottawa City Council, eliminating the crack kit program? I have nothing to say about it beyond what I said in December. Except this: Council’s short-sighted, uninformed, pointlessly moralistic non-solution betrays a fundamental lack of understanding of the problem. […]
A crack addicts life is not worth 2 dollars. They are human just the same as us who write these posts. Do we think we are worth 2 dollars? I deffinately do not! They are worth our help!