ROTHENBURGER: Would mandatory drug treatment help us get our streets back?

There has been an alarming surge in drug-trade violence of late and some of the other, less serious stuff, is taking on a brazen twist.

There was the guy who climbed into someone’s car as it was stopped in traffic.

And the fugitive couple who conveniently drove into a police parking lot where they were apprehended. There was the guy who smashed his way into a store and left with a shopping cart full of stolen merchandise.

In another store, a shop lifter chased an employee with a hammer and knife. And an RCMP officer was punched and kicked after he responded to a call for help.

While a lot of things have a role in this downturn in social order, the drug trade is a big one. It’s no wonder a large majority of Canadians — 88 per cent — favour mandatory, court-ordered treatment for drug addictions both for the good of the addicted and the safety of the public.

Obviously, many addicted people aren’t criminals, and addictions aren’t just a street issue but that’s where it’s most obvious.

Aside from the issue of individual rights, does universal mandatory treatment, as opposed to the selective process we have in B.C. now, work? The jury is out on that one.

Support for it, though, reflects hardening attitudes. Canadians still support supervised injection sites and decriminalization but they want results.

They’re saying there’s a place for a stick as well as a carrot. Taking a look at what’s happening on our streets, it’s not surprising.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.

by Mel Rothenburger

ROTHENBURGER: Would mandatory drug treatment help us get our streets back?

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