Bruce Alexander’s essay “Reframing Canada’s ‘Drug Problem’”, discusses the ever-growing epidemic of substance addiction plaguing Vancouver’s streets. In this paper, Alexander encourages readers to re-evaluate classic drug intervention methods: criminal prosecution, medical or psychological treatment, and “harm reduction” techniques, as they focus on fixing the addicts rather than fixing the true origin of their substance abuse problems. Ultimately, Alexander argues that people’s “dislocation” from their lives (meaning their lack of identification with their traditional culture and with people that surround them), is the very root of drug addiction. He goes on to suggest that this “dislocation” is a result of Canada’s selfish market and economy
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Instead, Alexander resorts to attacking interventions for combatting drug use, but these attacks are not quite justified. Without prior knowledge on the subject, it is easy to believe that “no way of combining interventions has stopped the deaths or quelled the misery by much” (Alexander 225), or that they cannot “substantially reduce the problem” (Alexander 226). However, these statements are not as true as Alexander would like to have his readers believe. The government of British Columbia published “Harm Reduction: a British Columbia community guide” in which they state that “harm reduction strategies have strong evidence of effectiveness in the scientific literature and in practice,” and that “they are an integral part of a comprehensive response to problematic substance use” (British Columbia Ministry of Health). Additionally, the BC Centre for Disease Control refers to “harm reduction” as a way to “keep people safe and minimize death, disease, and injury from high risk behaviour” (BC Centre for Disease Control). With this information in mind, it is clear to see why Alexander failed to include reliable statistics about intervention methods at the beginning of his essay. Such statistics would have weakened his argument because “harm reduction” methods are apparently a lot more …show more content…
Although Alexander’s argument is far from flawless, he uses emotionally appealing examples in a very calculated way to emphasize a side of drug addiction that is seldom considered. With the idea that drug addiction originates in the way Canadians’ market driven society causes people’s “dislocation”, Canadians have a whole new theory on which to base their attempt to resolve addiction problems, and Alexander’s essay expertly finds a way to make people care about it. If only the care and insight residing within Alexander’s essay could be perpetuated across the country –it would do wonders for the way that people go about solving this drug epidemic. As best stated by Alexander himself: “Canadians are ready for such an adventure” (Alexander 230), and reading this essay is an excellent place to
Instead, Alexander resorts to attacking interventions for combatting drug use, but these attacks are not quite justified. Without prior knowledge on the subject, it is easy to believe that “no way of combining interventions has stopped the deaths or quelled the misery by much” (Alexander 225), or that they cannot “substantially reduce the problem” (Alexander 226). However, these statements are not as true as Alexander would like to have his readers believe. The government of British Columbia published “Harm Reduction: a British Columbia community guide” in which they state that “harm reduction strategies have strong evidence of effectiveness in the scientific literature and in practice,” and that “they are an integral part of a comprehensive response to problematic substance use” (British Columbia Ministry of Health). Additionally, the BC Centre for Disease Control refers to “harm reduction” as a way to “keep people safe and minimize death, disease, and injury from high risk behaviour” (BC Centre for Disease Control). With this information in mind, it is clear to see why Alexander failed to include reliable statistics about intervention methods at the beginning of his essay. Such statistics would have weakened his argument because “harm reduction” methods are apparently a lot more …show more content…
Although Alexander’s argument is far from flawless, he uses emotionally appealing examples in a very calculated way to emphasize a side of drug addiction that is seldom considered. With the idea that drug addiction originates in the way Canadians’ market driven society causes people’s “dislocation”, Canadians have a whole new theory on which to base their attempt to resolve addiction problems, and Alexander’s essay expertly finds a way to make people care about it. If only the care and insight residing within Alexander’s essay could be perpetuated across the country –it would do wonders for the way that people go about solving this drug epidemic. As best stated by Alexander himself: “Canadians are ready for such an adventure” (Alexander 230), and reading this essay is an excellent place to