The continuing dispute over the future of the Focus counselling service and the associated Camp Spirit venture raises some troubling questions about how we go about dealing with addiction in Bermuda.

This newspaper cannot pretend to judge the internal workings of the programmes, the merits of Dr. Jacqueline Barber's as yet unpublished report or the administrative abilities of Sandy Butterfield, the founder and executive director of Focus.

What can be judged is whether a programme is working and helping people to come off drug addiction.

And on that point, the evidence is strong, as graduates of the programmes have attested.

It would be a crying shame if these programmes were allowed to die, in the same way that "His House" disappeared some three years ago for want of a permanent building.

Every effort must be made by the National Drugs Commission, the Council Partners, Government and Focus itself to prevent that from happening.