The mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia has unveiled a sweeping plan to address the city's social ills -- from addiction to litter -- including a proposal to set up a drug-maintenance program for cocaine and methamphetamine addicts.

The Vancouver Sun reported Jan. 22 that Mayor Sam Sullivan is asking the federal government to exempt the city from Canada's narcotics laws so that the plan can be implemented. Sullivan said the aim is to cut in half problems such as homelessness, panhandling and drug dealing by 2010.

Community courts would be used to divert drug offenders into treatment or maintenance programs. If implemented, Vancouver's program to provide legal alternative drugs to up to 700 stimulant addicts would be the largest-scale maintenance program attempted to date. "There's only one reason this [exemption] would be granted, because of the time pressure of the Olympics," said Sullivan, whose city will host the Winter Olympic Games in 2010.

The maintenance program would be targeted at the city's most chronic drug offenders.