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Calgary councillor Sean Chu calls addiction ‘a choice’ and Twitter responds

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Calgary Councillor Sean Chu calls addiction ‘a choice’
WATCH ABOVE: Comments on addiction made by Calgary Councillor Sean Chu have sparked some criticism – Feb 14, 2019

Comments on addiction made by a Calgary councillor on Wednesday have sparked some criticism from citizens.

During a committee meeting discussion on public safety concerns near a supervised consumption site in downtown Calgary, Ward 4 Coun. Sean Chu stated that addiction is a “choice.”

“Addiction. We call it a disease. I get mental issues may be disease. But drug addiction … we heard why people are doing drugs — to get away from something else — but truly, it’s a choice,” he said.

Chu’s remarks sparked outrage on social media, with one person on Twitter encouraging people to call Chu’s office and share their addiction experiences.

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https://twitter.com/MrJnow/status/1096011548403748864

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On Wednesday afternoon, Chu tweeted that he asked the people sitting in the committee audience of they “would like to have a safe injection site in their neighbourhood” and no one raised their hand.

City council members will continue to discuss the issue on Feb. 25.

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