Crack cocaine and related problems in Vancouver results from the break down in social responsibility

by Traci Lawson

	A pile of cocaine.

Social despair in Vancouver that is centred in the East side, can be easily redressed with provincial government leadership, which is inspired by social responsibility. Unfortunately for British Columbians the government of Premier Gordon Campbell seeks to primarily serve the resource exploitation interests of largely U.S. corporations over democratic ideals associated with defending the quality-of-living of all people.

The worsening context of social despair in Vancouver’s East Side which effects the entire city’s quality-of-living can be further traced to the Free Trade Agreement with the United States, which has placed pressure on government in Canada to abandon vital social policy initiatives.

Chronic Addiction Substitution Treatment (CAST) initiative documents that, “The illicit drug problem and the accompanying crime and public disorder caused by the drug problem are the greatest threats to livability in Vancouver.” LINK.

CAST further documents that most recent epidemiological data suggest that approximately 33,000 British Columbians have a dependence upon illicit drugs; rates of illegal drug use, drug-related mortality, and drug-related pregnancy and childbirth complications are all higher in BC than in the other provinces. Illegal drugs seized in BC have the highest average potency in North America. In Greater Vancouver alone in 2005 there were over 140,000 property crimes reported to police – more than any other centre in Canada. Although the overall crime rate in BC has decreased over the past decade, drug offences have increased by 63%.

The Downtown Eastside (DTES) of Vancouver is the oldest neighbourhood in Vancouver, bearing the dubious distinction of being Canada’s poorest postal code. Once the thriving centre of turn of the century Vancouver, the city’s original City Hall, courthouse and first public library are all located here.

Today, pockmarked heritage buildings and unsafe streets and alleys have become a transitional home for thousands, and the homeless population continues to rise. During the last official homelessness count in Greater Vancouver in March 2005, officials estimated that the total number of homeless had doubled to 2000 in just three years.

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