Pubdate: Fri, 21 Jul 2006
Source: Victoria News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Victoria News
Contact:  http://www.vicnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1267
Author: Brennan Clarke

INJECTION SITE STUDY GIVEN GREEN LIGHT

Undaunted by the Harper government's distaste for the  harm reduction 
approach to drug addiction, Victoria is  forging ahead with efforts 
to build the city's first  safe injection site.

Mayor Alan Lowe announced Wednesday that the University  of Victoria 
will "immediately begin" a research study  aimed at convincing Ottawa 
to approve a safe-injection  site for Victoria.

"It will give us the information we require to write  the proposal to 
Health Canada," Lowe said. "This is the  start of research that will 
provide us with local  scientific data and help us develop... made in 
Victoria  supervised drug use options."

One of the keys in the federal approval process is  securing a Health 
Canada exemption from section 56 of  the Canada Health Act, the part 
that prohibits the use  of illegal drugs in health-care facilities.

Canada's only supervised injections site, known as  InSite, has been 
operating in Vancouver since the fall  of 2003. A three-year pilot 
project, the facility is  hoping to have it exemption extended. 
However,  Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper told 
Lowe  during a recent visit to Victoria that safe-injection  sites 
clash with his party's ideology.

Vancouver Island Health Authority chief medical health  officer 
Richard Stanwick said even if the study doesn't  lead to a 
safe-injection site, the research will likely  identify other ways 
the city's growing population of  intravenous drug users.

"This will move our understanding of this population  forward 
substantially," Stanwick said. "The  understanding we will gain 
regardless of the supervised  consumption site... is going to be of 
real value on its  own."

The research, expected to take four to six months, will  be conducted 
by Dr. Benedikt Fischer of the UVic Centre  for Addictions Research.

Fischer said the research will look at evidence from  safe injection 
sites currently operating in 12  countries around the world. 
Researchers will also  interview members of Victoria's IV drug 
community and  consider existing reports on the subject deemed 
relevant to Victoria's situation.

"We will build a set of recommendations and draft and  design some 
options," Fischer said.

However, he stressed that safe injection sites are just  "part of a 
puzzle to alleviate" the harm that drug  users inflict on themselves 
and the rest of society.

"It's not just about giving (addicts) a place to go and  smoke their 
crack," he said. "They might need laundry,  they might need housing, 
they might need food. There  are a lot of associated issues we need 
to understand."

Lowe, who has toured safe-injection sites in Europe,  stressed that 
any such facility in Victoria will be  designed to meet local needs.

"Each one was tailored to the specific needs of its  community," Lowe 
said of his site visits. "One size  does not fit all."

While it's unclear how the Harper government will react  to 
Victoria's proposal, Stanwick said the experience in  Vancouver has 
saved lives, reduced the spread of  infectious diseases and, in some 
cases, addicts having  kicked their drug habits.

"What we really want to do is keep them alive long  enough so that 
when they do break the cycle of  addiction there will be a life for them."

The $300,000 study is being funded by the Vancouver  Island Health 
Authority ($250,000) and the Ministry of  Health ($50,000).

City spokesperson Cheekwan Ho said that amount covers  all the 
research, public education, extensive public  consultation, technical 
advice, funding for other  organizations that might contribute and 
the cost of  preparing the city's submission to Health Canada this  fall.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman