Pubdate: Wed, 16 Aug 2006
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2006, The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.globeandmail.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Lisa Priest, with reports from Andre Picard and Rod Mickleburgh
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)

PRESSURE MOUNTS TO KEEP INJECTION SITE

Canada's Health Minister Tony Clement was put under the spotlight 
yesterday when supporters of a safe-injection site for IV drug users 
demanded to know whether the federal government was going to renew 
its legal exemption.

But Mr. Clement was not providing hints on what the future holds for 
Vancouver's landmark safe-injection site, which sparked the concern 
of doctors, researchers and drug users.

"The evidence is irrefutable," Julio Montaner, director of the 
British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV-AIDS and 
president-elect of the International AIDS Society, said at a press 
conference yesterday.

Researchers cited studies they had done on Insite, a place where drug 
addicts get clean needles, medical help in the event of an overdose 
and assistance entering detoxification programs, should they desire 
it. For instance, a study published in The Lancet found the 
safe-injection site has reduced overall rates of needle-sharing in 
the community. (Those who share needles run the risk of spreading HIV.)

The safe-injection site -- the only one in North America -- was 
granted a three-year operating exemption by the previous Liberal 
government under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances 
Act. That exemption ends on Sept. 12.

Without it, Insite, which accommodates more than 600 drug addicts 
each day, would have to shut down.

During the last federal election campaign, while still Opposition 
Leader, Stephen Harper said he was opposed to providing government 
support for the use of illegal drugs.

And that has made people such as Mark Townsend, with the Portland 
Hotel Society, the non-profit affordable housing charity that 
administers Insite in conjunction with the Vancouver Coastal Health 
Authority, concerned.

Mr. Townsend was concerned enough that he attempted to confront Mr. 
Clement about the federal government's position in the morning at the 
International AIDS conference, without much success.

But by afternoon and in front of an audience of about 1,000 people, 
Mr. Townsend made the bold move of jumping on stage, where members of 
a panel that included Mr. Clement were discussing HIV vaccine 
research. Mr. Townsend took to the podium, where he stressed the 
importance of the Vancouver site. The B.C. government lent its weight 
yesterday to the campaign to keep the safe-injection site operating.

Weighing in on the controversy for the first time, Premier Gordon 
Campbell said he feels the clinic has done a good job of improving 
services to people. He noted that numerous studies, including one 
commissioned by the RCMP, have reported positive benefits from the site.

"We think it's a positive step, and we believe it should continue. We 
have let the federal government know that," Mr. Campbell told 
reporters, after announcing a mid-term cabinet shuffle.

Its supporters unexpectedly found another ally in former U.S. 
president Bill Clinton, who, at another press conference yesterday, 
spoke in favour of harm-reduction measures like needle-exchange 
programs and safe-injection sites for intravenous drug users.

While he did not specifically mention the Vancouver site, Mr. Clinton 
did say the scientific evidence clearly shows that these programs 
reduce the transmission of HIV-AIDS and do not lead to higher rates 
of drug use.

Mr. Clinton's position is particularly notable because, as president, 
he opposed harm-reduction measures.

"I think I was wrong," Mr. Clinton said candidly.

Meanwhile, Mr. Clement announced yesterday an immediate, 
comprehensive review of the legislation that was supposed to send 
less expensive, generic versions of HIV-AIDS drugs to Africa. Calling 
the legislation flawed, he said it must be reviewed sooner rather 
than later. Canada's Access to Medicines Regime is two years old but 
not one pill has been exported.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman