A Calgary newspaper columnist is defending her column, which has drawn harsh criticism on social media, in which she blamed Glee actor Cory Monteith鈥檚 death on Insite, 91原创鈥檚 supervised drug-injection site.
Licia Corbella of the Calgary Herald wrote a controversial column Friday claiming that Victoria-raised Cory Monteith, found dead July 13 in his hotel room at the Fairmont 91原创 Rim in 91原创 after overdosing on a mix of heroin and alcohol, got the drugs from Insite.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unlikely that the 31-year-old would have risked bringing hard drugs across the border from his home in the United States, so it鈥檚 safe to assume he either picked some up himself or had a gofer do it for him by visiting Insite,鈥� she wrote.
Corbella wrote that everyone in 91原创, 鈥渇rom teetotalling old ladies with blue hair to a straight-A student in elementary school,鈥� knows the Downtown Eastside is the place to buy illicit drugs. She went on to write Monteith likely wouldn鈥檛 have been able to find heroin if he were visiting any other 91原创 city, an assertion she backed up with an anecdote of a former heroin addict from Toronto who couldn鈥檛 find the drug while she was in Montreal.
The column has been lambasted on social media, with inflamed B.C. residents suggesting on Twitter that Corbella may be 鈥渋nsane鈥� and that her piece was 鈥渓udicrous鈥� and not based on evidence.
In an interview, Corbella admitted she should have worded differently one sentence implying Monteith got drugs from Insite. Corbella told The Province that she knows people can鈥檛 buy drugs from the supervised injection site.
鈥淭hat was probably clumsily worded,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 should have said 鈥榖ought drugs in the area surrounding Insite.鈥� 鈥�
Still, Corbella fiercely defended her column. Standing by her arguments, Corbella said she is not opposed to the concept of harm reduction, but that she believes Insite is enabling newbies to start using drugs, which she doesn鈥檛 support.
鈥淭his wasn鈥檛 a column about studies. I know that using a clean needle is better than using a dirty one,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 get that, but what is this doing? Is this creating more addicts?鈥�
Insite spokesman Clay Adams said the assertion first-time users can try drugs at Insite is 鈥渁bsurd鈥� and 鈥渋naccurate.鈥�
Adams said staff screen clients and are 鈥渧ery astute as to who is a first-time user and who is not.鈥�
Corbella disputed Adams鈥檚 claim. She said she received an email from a father of a former heroin addict who claimed his son had tried heroin for the first time at Insite when he was 17 and became an addict. In the email, the father blamed Insite and the 鈥渓aissez-faire attitude in 91原创 towards open drug dealing鈥� for what happened to his son.
Corbella said she has no doubt others have also tried drugs for the first time at Insite.
Adams, a former journalist, said Corbella鈥檚 column is frustrating and disappointing. Although 91原创 is known for having a population of heavy drug users in the Downtown Eastside, he said so does any other major city in the world.
鈥淚t paints 91原创 in a bad light that was really unfair 鈥� that we鈥檙e the drug capital of North America,鈥� Adams said. 鈥淚t was totally speculative and does nothing to help people have an informed discussion about drug use.鈥�
Corbella鈥檚 column is also disrespectful to Monteith and his family, Adams added. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know where he got the drug, why he did it, and what truly happened,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o start pointing fingers and blaming people is irresponsible.鈥�
Asked whether she thinks it was appropriate to link Monteith鈥檚 death to the debate over Insite, Corbella paused for a few moments before answering yes. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 appropriate in the sense that I think there鈥檚 a connection between the very huge ease of access to heroin in 91原创 that everyone knows where you can go get it,鈥� she said.
Corbella, who was born and raised in 91原创, said she likens the city to a 鈥済orgeous, vibrant person,鈥� but described the Downtown Eastside and its population of drug users as a 鈥渃ancerous lesion鈥� that 鈥渘eeds to be surgically removed.鈥�
Since her column was published, Corbella said she has received numerous threats, including one of bodily harm that has been reported to police. But as a columnist, Corbella said she is used to getting threatening emails.
鈥淓ven the emails that say 鈥業 hope you die a slow and agonizing death,鈥� those ones don鈥檛 really bug me,鈥� she said. 鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 just an ignorant person who has troubles expressing themselves. It doesn鈥檛 really bother me.鈥�
