Counterintuitive Spring 2024

Fight Drugs with Drugs

Sometimes the best way to deal with a drug problem is making the drug easier to get.  The problem with heroin addiction is not just the fact that people are getting high.  The problem is that an addict will do anything to get high.  Providing heroin completely eradicates this problem.  Simply make the heroin free and obtainable and the addict will no longer commit a crime or take another drastic measure to get high, he will just get his fix and continue on with his life, being more productive than he would if he had to find heroin.  It seems obvious, that giving out drugs to help junkies is not the moral or right thing to do and that it is not helping anyone, that it is making the junkies drug problem worse.  However, while people stay in the Free Heroin Clinic and never quit, there are people who kick their addiction because of the clinic.  Free Heroin Clinics do not make addictions worse, but they can also make people completely kick their addiction.

The problem with heroin addiction is that all the addicts that try to quit do not actually want to quit.  Stopping a drug that makes them feel incredible everyday does not sound very appealing.  However, there are people that have kicked their addiction through going to the clinic.  A man who goes by the name of Johan spoke about how he went to the clinic everyday until he hated his life.  “If you get dope for free, the only problem is you’re addicted to the dope.” says Johan about the clinic, “All that’s left when everything else is taken care of is the question: do I really want to keep on using this? (Roes)”  The clinic helped Johan kick heroin and helps other addicts get their lives together and becoming functioning members of society, junkie or not.

Drugs are a very delicate thing to deal with because they have the ability to snowball out of control from one try and leave someone doing desperate things to feed their addiction.  Although it seems wrong to feed someone else’s addiction, it can be the best option for them and for all the people their addiction can affect.  While giving someone drugs does not seem like the moral thing to do to help them, if they were not receiving these drugs they would out potentially harming others to get their fix, which could potentially harm them.  Free Heroin Clinics are not immoral, they are helpful to the addicts who would otherwise be hurting themselves or others in order to get a fix.

Roes, Thijs. “Only in the Netherlands Do Addicts Complain About Free Government Heroin | VICE News.” VICE News RSS. Vice News, 6 May 2014. Web. 04 May 2015.

Trust Got Us Black and Blue by the Boys in Blue

     Police brutality within the United States has unfortunately become outrageously rampant over these past couple of years. It seems that new cases of violent police action spring up every few weeks. Whether it be from officers assaulting a suspect or outright shooting them out of suspicion of them carrying a weapon, the police officers just always seem to go with a course of violence first.

“Atlanta, Georgia, where a SWAT team, attempting to execute a no-knock drug warrant in the middle of the night, launched a flash bang grenade into the targeted home, only to have it land in a crib where a 19-month-old baby lay sleeping. The grenade exploded in the baby’s face, burning his face, lacerating his chest, and leaving him paralyzed. He is currently in the hospital in a medically induced coma.” (Whitehead, The Growing Epidemic of Police Violence: Is It Time to De-Militarize Police Forces?)

Surely the officers must face the consequences of these actions however. Police officers are humans and mistakes tend to happen. So it is possible that they can make a completely wrong call on somebody they deem suspicious after they physically attack or shoot them. So naturally they should have to face assault or murder charges respectively if they make this mistake. In the event that a police officer does mistaken kill or injure an innocent person they are liable to investigation and suspension.

“Like in any unnatural death, there is an investigation of the cause by the police. In cases where a law enforcement officer claims to have either accidentally shot someone or shot that person in self-defense, that officer is typically placed on administrative leave. Depending on the circumstances and the agency, this leave may be either paid or unpaid” (Snider, What Happens When Cops Kill Innocent People).

But this is not always the case. Sometimes police officers cover up these misdeeds by lying. Often saying: “I feared for my life”, “They were carrying what appeared to be a gun”, or “They appeared to be under the influence and therefore unpredictable”. Too often, this is all that it takes for them to get away with the assault or murder of an innocent individual. It does not have to be a factual telling of the events that transpired, they just have to make it believable.

“The officer, Michael T. Slager, 33, said he feared for his life because the man had taken his stun gun in a scuffle after a traffic stop on Saturday. A video, however, shows the officer firing eight times as the man, Walter L. Scott, 50, fled” (Schmidt and Apuzzo South Carolina Officer Is Charged with Murder of Walter Scott).

After all if the victim is no longer living after the events we are only left to go by what the police tells us. Officers are fully capable of lying to the public whenever they so choose. By hiding or tampering with evidence, planting drugs or weapons near or on the victim, or by lying in their reports. These things happen frequently whenever acts of police brutality arise. However the majority of people still tend to trust the officers despite evidence of officers brazenly lying, quite frequently within their testimonies, in reports, or on camera.

It is not just police officers that are capable of covering brutality cases. Mainstream media sources do this quite often. These media outlets favor the narrative that is given to them by the police because that’s what will get more views. Sometimes these outlets will create their own commentaries on the events and feed that to their viewers, whether it is factual or not.

“This week, right-wing talk-radio host Larry Elder (you know, the guy who is always accusing liberals of being “race baiters”) stunned the Internet with a photo of Ferguson cop Darren Wilson recovering in the hospital due to the severe injuries he received at the hands of Michael Brown, the unarmed black teenager he gunned down … Proof at last that the valiant cop was only acting in self-defense! Except that it wasn’t proof of anything except Elder’s own lack of honesty and integrity. Because the photo isn’t of Darren Wilson. Rather, it’s a 2006 photograph of “freestyle motocross” personality Jim McNeil, recovering after a nasty “faceplant” accident” (Bodine, KABC’s Larry Elder Spreads Phony Darren Wilson/Ferguson Meme).

In some cases, these news sources will get a hold of the victim’s past criminal actions or the community in which they hailed from and use that to further discredit the victim and paint them in a negative light. Poor media coverage of events normally ends up helping police officers whenever situations like this come up because not only do they serve as distractions to the public, but it pushes the idea that it was the victim’s fault for what happened to them instead of focusing on main issue that is police brutality and excessive police force.

“News preoccupation with things like property damage diverts attention from the underlying conditions that caused them in the first place, and has misrepresented the situation in Baltimore as one characterized by chaos rather than frustration about an ongoing issue. What’s more, community members have united in organizing peaceful demonstrations related to Freddie Gray’s death and the aftermath in the city — images of which weren’t being shown nearly enough in mainstream coverage. With officers in the cases of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice and Rekia Boyd all getting off the hook for killing unarmed black civilians, there’s also a palpable fear about Gray’s case following in the same trajectory. But that wouldn’t be apparent from simply getting one’s information from cable news stations transmitting nonstop images of the rioting.” (Clifton, In One Quote, Morgan Freeman Said What Everyone’s Thinking about TV Coverage of Baltimore).

News media often tends to favor the police because of the pedestal we place officers on within our society. What gives these outlets an advantage of spreading the news that the officer was a hero for what they did is, that the general public have certain expectations of what a police officer should be embedded within them.

“A police officer must always be strictly honest and truthful.  If you make a mistake, please do not try to hide it, but admit it so that it can be rectified as soon as possible.  The life or liberty of a person may depend on your word, so your evidence must be absolutely truthful. A police officer whose truthfulness is open to suspicion is useless to the force and his senior officers, and is unfit to exercise the responsibilities that are delegated to such an officer … The approach of a police officer has a great effect on the attitude of the public. That is why the use of tact and persuasion instead of force is encouraged.  You will find that members of the public will comply with direction more willingly when they understand the situation or the event that took place.  Insisting on the right of your authority instead of using tact will run you in the risk of having your authority challenged.” (RBPF, Attributes of a Police Officer)

Throughout life, we are often taught the police are shining examples of truth, justice, and decency. Police are always to be trusted and are the go to option whenever an issue arises. Seeing as how this is engrained into our culture, it is quite difficult to convince people that officers are just like us. If their jobs are on the line, they will lie to protect themselves instead of doing what is right. It is a very common, and quite frankly natural response within our society. Whether it be a retail, corporate, industrial, teaching, or food service kind of job; at some point we have all either lied or given half-truths in order to keep our positions. You would have to be lying to yourself to believe that they would not do the same.

In a New York Times opinion piece by Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Alexander goes on to slam the New York Police Department. Exposing many instances where police would lie, how they would do it, and why they have a good reason to do so.

“But are police officers necessarily more trustworthy than alleged criminals? I think not. Not just because the police have a special inclination toward confabulation, but because, disturbingly, the have an incentive to lie. In this era of mass incarceration, the police shouldn’t be trusted any more than any other witness, perhaps less so.” (Alexander, Why Police Lie Under Oath).

From that point, Alexander goes on to paint police officers as ordinary people or the people deemed as criminals. They have a reason to lie. Whether that means they have a specific arrest or ticket quota to meet or if it is used to protect themselves or a fellow officer, if they have the ability to lie more often than not they will take it. Even if they are known to be lying, jurors would still trust the words of a police officer more than they would a criminal. Simply for the fact that, it is a police officer against a criminal. However with a written account from former San Francisco Police commissioner, Peter Keane, can serve as the stepping stone into changing thoughts on police integrity.

“Police officer perjury in court to justify illegal dope searches is commonplace. One of the dirty little not-so-secrets of the criminal justice system is undercover narcotics officers intentionally lying under oath. It is a perversion of the American justice system that strikes directly at the rule of law. Yet it is routine way of doing business in courtrooms everywhere in America.” (Keane, Why Police Lie Under Oath).

Police officers should not have such an easy time being able to get away with murder and excessive force on American citizens by lying and having the media covering for them. It is our tax dollars that pay them. Our hard earned money that supports officers to continue to hurt innocent people and kill suspects when they should face trial. As difficult as it is, our society must come to the realization and accept that the police are not the heroes they once swooned over. With so much evidence of what police officers are capable of doing to get away with their heinous acts, it is a complete mockery of what they call and what we know as justice. We most look pass the media coverage that continues to paint all police officers as paragons of truthfulness, decency, and righteousness. As well as take the narratives created by the police with more skepticism. For of these things do not change, at any moment, it can be your death or assault that a police officer is lying about to get away with.

Works Cited

Whitehead, John W. “The Growing Epidemic of Police Violence: Is It Time to De-Militarize Police Forces?” The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 4 Apr. 2014. Web. 05 May 2015.

Schmidt, Michael S., and Matt Apuzzo. “South Carolina Officer Is Charged With Murder of Walter Scott.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 Apr. 2015. Web. 05 May 2015.

Snider, Brett, Esq. “What Happens When Cops Kill Innocent People?” Web log post. Law and Daily Life. Findlaw, 13 Apr. 2014. Web. 05 May 2015.

Bodine, Cognac. “KABC’s Larry Elder Spreads Phony Darren Wilson / Ferguson Meme.” KABC’s Larry Elder Spreads Phony Darren Wilson / Ferguson Meme. Dailykaos, 4 Sept. 2014. Web. 05 May 2015.

Clifton, Derrick. “In One Quote, Morgan Freeman Destroyed the Media over the Baltimore Riots Coverage.” Mic. Mic, 01 May 2015. Web. 05 May 2015.

“Attributes of a Police Officer- RBPF.” Attributes of a Police Officer- RBPF. Royal Bahamas Police, n.d. Web. 05 May 2015.

Alexander, Michelle. “Why Police Lie Under Oath.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Feb. 2013. Web. 05 May 2015

GOAL 1: I used a multi-stage, recursive, and social process for my writing and took into consideration feedback from my instructor, classmates, and other readers.

In the class, it is imperative that we receive feedback from the only the instructor, but classmates as well. This adds to the social process aspect of the course. Not only teaching us how to properly give feedback, but also how to take and respond to feedback and criticism. Often going back to rewrite previous assignments was an exercise in recursive writing. The writer should want to distant themselves from their first draft as quickly and as much as possible. No matter how strong of a first draft it is, it can always be improved and expanded upon. Writing is a full staged process that demands editing, criticism, and research. If the steps are followed correctly it only makes writing the final draft of the assignment run all the more smoother.

GOAL 2: I read source materials closely and analyzed them critically to learn how and why texts create meaning.

Source materials are necessary for any well written counter-intuitive topic. Not only will it strengthen your paper, giving it some useful facts for the reader to understand and add length to the paper, it also gives the writer more to work with and fall back on while writing. The “proposal +5” assignment was used as a way for us to properly organize our sources and remind us what we want these sources to do for our arguments within our papers. Throughout the course, we were to go back to the assignment and add even more sources; whether that means rejecting a source for a more structured on, or adding onto a previous source.

GOAL 3: I wrote with a particular audience in mind, allowing my purpose to shape the language and methods I used not just to communicate information but to persuade readers.

In most assignments, we are meant to write as if we were writing our arguments for the public to view. Meaning that we must prepare for possible rebuttals that may challenge our claims. A way that we do this, is by adding a persuasive element to our arguments. That convinces readers to think outside of their usual views. Our job as writers, is to get our readers to open their minds to a different perspective. Within the papers we write we show how certain events cause particular outcomes and we support this with sources prepared to counter their rebuttals. However, we must still be able to make our content open for discussion and inviting to readers. The paper can’t have facts just plainly tossed at the reader with no life, for that makes for an extremely boring and monotonous read. As writers, naturally we want the readers to want to keep reading after each paragraph meaning that we must be able to draw them closer and closer with each sentence.

GOAL 4: I demonstrated my information literacy by synthesizing my own experience with new insights and information from a range of outside sources to produce new material.

My experiences made it easy find more outside sources for my research topic. The subject matter of my topic affects many people, not just myself. So it was necessary that convey this by using sources that show that the issue is related to many. For it can happen to anybody and imperative that my audience gets the information they need to prove this. I hope that my writing and the sources spur emotions within the readers that make them look at things through a different perspective and mindset. Also for them to look back in their lives and connect their own experiences with what they have just read.

GOAL 5: My writing is ethical. Writing about meaningful topics, I have engaged responsibly with them and represented my ideas and the ideas of others honestly, fairly, and logically.

I wrote about meaningful topics that allowed me to start applying what I have wrote to my life. My writing should be able to convince myself of a topic before I attempt to convince others. I responded to subject matter with my own ideas in a respectable, ethical, well thought manner that any college student should be fully capable of at this point of their lives. I engaged in review of classmates work in a method that encouraged them to improve. But doing this it also allowed me to take on the role of a critic, which enabled me to learn how to spot certain aspects of a work. Thus allowing me to apply it to my own writing so I will be able to correct inaccuracies or mistakes on my own.

Annotated Bibliography

1. The Great Police Cover Up

Background – This article details how the police cover up their shootings. They intentionally avoid reporting the bullets they use. They falsify police reports in general. There is even information on how officers provide false data as to people killed by their hands. This makes it hard for the nation to even prove that police officers abuse their power because they are getting false statistics, unreported police altercations.

Proposal – We can’t even trust our police officers to provide proper data. This is what our tax dollars go to. Supplying a police force that cannot be honest with their reports, do not submit their data to the FBI’s Crime Reporting Program, and keep any sort of actual evidence and date to themselves. There is obviously some kind of reason they want to cover this information up. It goes against them.

2. News Reporter Spreads False Image of Police Officer

Background – KABC reporter Larry Elder posts a fake picture of Darren Wilson’s injuries after his altercation with Michael Brown. This is proven false with a simple right click reverse image search on the photo. It turns out that was actually a picture of man involved in a face plant motocross accident from 2006.

How I used it – This is an example of how the media will lie and spread false information in order to protect the men in blue. The man in the picture does not even resemble Darren Wilson in the slightest. However, that doesn’t seem to matter to Larry Elder, in fact for the first few days it actually worked. The image spread to most other news outlets and the man quickly became the new face of Darren Wilson. Until of course it was proven false. Proving that the media has no problem to lie to the public in order to gain support and views.

3. Attributes of a Police Officer

Background – A list of traits and characteristics that the police try to live by and uphold.

How I used it – In society we are taught how police officers should be and what they should represent. Courage, loyalty, truthfulness, and most importantly, justice. The goal with this is to show that these ideas and expectations we have of our police tend to skew the idea that at that end of the day police are just like us. Human. They make mistakes like us, sometimes they are dishonest, and that it is possible for them to be selfish.

4. Deconstructing a Media Police Cover-up

Background – This article delves into how media outlets attempt to protect and cover-up police misdeeds. It covers the tactics that are used by news media to distort the truth, lean in favor of the police, paint victims as criminals, and their control over the masses.

How I used it– Media always tends to be a key component of how some cops are able to get off with acts of excessive force by manipulating narratives and feeding the general public the half-truths that were reported by the police

5. Why Police Lie

Background – The title of this opinion piece written by Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Alexander goes into detail of how it is police go about lying and how/why they are able to get away with it. She explains how people will plead guilty to crimes whether they actually did them or not, because they are aware that the chances of the jury taking their word over the officer’s are slim to none. She claims that police have an incentive to lie which is to meet an arrest quota, to save their own jobs, or protect another officer.

How I used it – Police lie, there are many cases of police perjury and there are many cases of police getting away with lying in their reports and in court. Both of which are illegal actions. How are we able to trust police to uphold justice when they will put their jobs over innocents? Knowing that police are fully capable of lying and getting away with it, then we should not bother trusting their words alone in trial.

6. Body-Cam Video Released of Fatal Tulsa Shooting After Police Chase

Background – Body camera video of the shooting of alleged illegal weapons dealer, Eric Harris of Tulsa Oklahoma shows Harris running away from police and then being fatally shot in the back by 73 year old reserve deputy Robert Bates. The shooting was said to be an accident as the reserve deputy claims that he mistakenly grabbed his gun instead of his taser. What follows after Eric Harris is shot leaves many in shock. He is tackled and forced down by backup officers with one pressing his knew gets Harris’s head driving it into the ground. Harris claims that he cannot breathe and a friendly officer responds with “Fuck your breath”.

Proposal – The arrest of Eric Harris was justified. There were warrants for his arrest when it was discovered that he may be selling illegal firearms. It was set up as a by the books arrest. Eric Harris, unfortunately made it worse for himself by attempting to run from the police. What he and many others didn’t count on, was that he was going to be shot for fleeing. Many would expect that he would have been tasered and brought down by the police. Instead he was shot, forcibly taken down, and denied breathing space from the officers. Clear cut example of excessive force, and police incompetence that resulted in the death of a man who should have been arrested and put on trial.

7. In One Quote, Morgan Freeman Said What Everyone’s Thinking about TV Coverage of Baltimore

Background – In an interview with the Daily Beast, actor Morgan Freeman expresses his opinion on the recent events of the mystery death of Baltimore citizen Freddie Gray while in custody of police. Rather he would if he properly knew the events of what was going on. With how the media was covering the subject you would think it was just about rioting Baltimore citizens. There was so much focus on the riots that many were not aware why they were rioting in the first place. Fed up with this incompetent media coverage, an exasperated Morgan Freeman asks “Where were all the cameras before the situation escalated into riots? People are saying, ‘You were not all there when we were just talking and trying to make a point, but if we set something on fire, all of a sudden you’re all here. Why is that? What’s the difference?” Finally topping off his questions with “Fuck the media”.

How I used it – The goal of this source is to support my claim of poor media coverage in the events of police brutality. The article discusses that the media will only show up when the situation reaches a boiling point instead of reporting what occurred prior to the riots and what caused the protests and riots in the first place. The media goes on to paint the community as dangerous and that it is no reason a police officer would kill an alleged criminal when they get their hands on them. This in a way works in the officers’ favor since the media is busy distracting viewers with footage of riots, it gives them time to form a good cover-up about the death of suspect.

8. What Happens When Cops Kill Innocent People

Background – This article goes into detail about the process a police officer faces after killing an innocent or suspect. Police normally face the same consequences anyone else does after taking a person’s life. An investigation whether the killing was in self-defense, if the killing was premeditated, and the method in which they killed the person. Police officers however, are placed on paid leave until the investigation ends, or after they are convicted.

How I used it – This will mainly be used to describe the consequences that police face in cases of police brutality/excessive force.

9. South Carolina Officer Is Charged With Murder of Walter Scott

Background – Michael Slager, a South Carolina officer, shoots and kills 50 year old Walter Scott after attempting to flee a traffic stop. Originally it was stated that Scott had taken officer Slager’s stun gun and threatened to use it on him. Slager said that he feared for his life and shot Walter Scott. However, in a released video shows that Walter Scott did not have Michael Slager’s stun gun and tried running away after getting into a scuffle. While he was running Slager shot him up to eight times in the back killing him moments later.

How I used it – This article will be used to support my claim that officers sometimes lie after they shoot and kill a suspect. They will often use the go to “He took my weapon” or “I feared for my life” in order to make them look like the victims and that they only shot in self-defense.

10. The Growing Epidemic of Police Violence: Is It Times to De-Militarize Police Forces?

Background – An opinion/informational piece written by John W. Whitehead, attorney, president of The Rutherford Institute, and author of Battlefield America. Takes time to dissect the rise of police force against criminals and innocent civilians. Not only does the article list many instances of civilian deaths by the hands of police, but also how they are too heavily equipped for their jobs. Resembling something more of a domestic army instead of a simple local police force.

How I used it – The opinion piece was used to support my claim of police using excessive force leading to seriously injured or death of citizens. Whether they are innocent or suspects of a particular crime.

Fatherhood Involvement

     Ad Council, an organization that specializes in brief PSAs, posted a video to their Youtube channel titled “Fatherhood Involvment – Kid Again”. Just by going from the title one could expect what the video to be about, however within the first five seconds of the video the viewer is introduced to a rather unusual sight. An adult man at the park, sitting and riding on a teeter-totter appearing to be smiling at a woman with a stroller. The woman who is very visually uncomfortable judging from her body language and facial expressions, pulls her stroller closer to her as if to protect her baby from this strange man. In the next scene, there is a man pressing his face against glass while making goof faces. But he pulls his face away as soon as he notices the store clerk looking at him. The store clerk gives the man a concerned and confused face that asks, “Is there something wrong with this man?” The next scene shows a man in a shirt and tie, bouncing on a trampoline, waving at his neighbors while continuing to jump and spin around on the trampoline.

At this point, the viewer will start to notice what do all these grown men have doing childish things have to do with being a father? It isn’t until we return to the scene with the man pressing his face against the glass that we see a little girl laughing at him. The store clerk changes his expression to a happy and approving tone at the realization that he must be the little girl’s father. After that scene, it is revealed that all the grown man who were acting like children, were simply playing with their children. This is when the advertisement begins its narrative on fathers being involved within their child’s life. It does not take much to do, the father just needs to remember how to be a kid again.

My research paper will be based around Vancouver and how they are helping their heroin addicts with providing them with heroin. It seems very counterintuitive to simply hand out heroin to those that are heroin addicts. There is obviously a reason that they are doing this and for some reason they feel as though this will in return help the addicts in one way or another. It seems insane to give users their drug of choice, but clinics in Vancouver must have a different idea.

Vancouver Combats Heroin

Background: Article provided general information about what was going on in Vancouver and the details of the clinics and what was being provided and how.

How I Used It: I used this article as the basis of information. It give me the general details of the topic so I could understand what was going on.

The Only Place They’ll Inject You With Free Heroin

Background: Explains why Vancouver is doing what they are doing. Discusses why it works and also includes argument viewpoints.

How I Used It: I used this as an insight to arguments on this topic. There are a lot of opposing viewpoints and different opinions on the clinics and what they are doing there.

Prescription Heroin for Vancouver Addicts

Background: The article talks about how the clinics began and how they had to get approved to conduct them. It includes a lot of statistics and factual based information.

How I Used It: The article helped me in understanding some of the background on how the clinics got started, but I did not incorporate this information too much in my paper because I felt it did not fit. Although, parts of the article talk about how the addicts who were getting heroin were showing improvements and I used that information.

Vancouver Addicts Receive Prescription Heroin

Background: This article talked about what they are doing in Vancouver and how many people they have done it with. It also talks about trials that took place because of this situation. It also talked about how often addicts could receive a dosage

How I Used It: I used this because of how they gave them the heroin and how many times they were able to receive it.

Heroin has become a very popular and widely used drug in the city of Vancouver. Many people are already addicted to heroin, while more and more people begin to use the drug as well. An addiction is really a battle that people fight, and tend to lose as well. If effects every aspect of these people’s lives. From their job to relationships to finances, it can really hurt them in the long run. Addicts eventually run out of heroin and then they run out of money to get more. They result to almost anything when it comes to committing crimes and hurting the people they love and care about. When addicts need a fix, they are usually willing to go to the extreme lengths that it may take to get it. This has left the city of Vancouver with a very high crime rate to deal with, as well as addicts covering the streets.

To help rid the city of the negative effects of having so many heroin users and addicts, they decided to set up clinics called Insite. These clinics are safe zones for heroin addicts to go and receive free heroin. The safe zones provide them with not only heroin, but it gives them clean needles and it gives them a place to feel safe. The thing about these safe zones are exactly what the name says, they are safe. Addicts can go here and shoot up heroin without the fear of being arrested like out on the street. This may be keeping addicts off the street, but it is hard to say how much good this system is really doing.

It may seem insane that the city of Vancouver is actually offering heroin to the people that live there, but it helps them more then we would come to think. They are getting good clean heroin, really they are getting some of the best heroin around instead of getting it off the street; so it is reducing the use of street drugs. While of course heroin is still heroin, the stuff they are getting in the clinics is better then what they were finding on the streets of Vancouver. It is extremely difficult to say that this heroin is better for them, because obviously no heroin is really good for a person, but it is better then street drugs by a long shot. Not only are they receiving some of the best heroin, but they are receiving clean needles which they use to inject the drug. While most addicts tend to live off the streets, they also tend to use dirty or contaminated needles. Contaminated needles could lead to all kinds of problems for these addicts, aside from the problem of using the needles in the first place. Dirty needles can lead to transmitted diseases or sicknesses, which usually just lands these addicts in the hospital. Unsanitary needles are not the only reason these addicts end up in the hospital. Since they are not being monitored in the streets are where ever they had been doing heroin before, there is always the risk of a dangerous overdose, which would also land an addict in the hospital. In the clinics, if an overdose does occur, there are people that are trained to deal with it and make sure the overdose does not end in a death. They do not always have the money to pay for the treatments they need, but they still get treated. Not only are these clinics keeping them off the streets, but essentially they are keeping addicts out of the hospital as well.

With a situation like this, where there is a positive side, there is always a negative side as well. It sounds absurd to give people drugs that can harm them, and basically kill them. The thing that needs to be recognized about these clinics is that their main purpose really is not to get people clean from the drug. For most addicts, that is the goal of course, but for others it is really just containing the addiction. Some addicts are to the point of their addiction that the continuing to use the drug is better then trying to get clean. They have become so used to and accustomed to it that their body needs it to function and live. The clinics are not killing these people by giving them heroin instead of giving them the things they need to get clean, the clinics are just helping these people contain their drug habit the safest and cleanest way possible.

The clinics really help the city of Vancouver by keeping crime rate down because it keeps the people committing the crimes off the streets. Providing them with free heroin and free needles and a safe place to shoot up is preventing them from committing crimes to get their hands on some heroin. It also helps the addicts themselves because it allows them to be a functioning person in society. Getting the heroin from the clinics and having to go there to receive it gives these people their lives back, in a sense. Instead of them waking up wondering where they can get their fix that day and how they will get it or what they have to do to get it, they can wake up and report to the clinic in order to receive their fix. This way, everything is not dedicated to getting heroin anymore because it is being given to them for free. The clinics have definitely improved people’s lives and have helped some get back on their feet. Giving these addicts the free heroin actually does more good then harm in this situation.