Pubdate: Fri, 05 Oct 2007 Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC) Copyright: 2007 Vancouver Courier Contact: http://www.vancourier.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474 Cited: British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS http://www.cfenet.ubc.ca Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/InSite Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?142 (Supervised Injection Sites) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction) INSITE RESEARCHERS TURN DOWN FEDERAL 'GAG ORDER' MONEY Safe Injection Site Advocates Call Six-Month Reprieve a Political Move The organization that conducted the most comprehensive evaluation of the city's supervised injection site has rejected a contract with the federal government to conduct further research on the facility. The government contract offered two weeks ago to the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS included a "gag order" on the results of the research, said Dr. Thomas Kerr, a research scientist with the B.C. Centre. "We could produce an analysis showing that there's been a huge reduction in some type of health outcome and then have the health minister stand up and say once again the research has shown nothing--and we're supposed to sit there and not say anything," Kerr explained. "It was a very politically motivated contract, and we just couldn't do it. We don't work that way." When Insite opened on East Hastings in September 2003, the B.C. Centre was awarded a $1.5 million contract funded by the federal government to conduct research for three years on the facility. The Centre's researchers discovered Insite reduced the number of addicts injecting in public, reduced needle-sharing and led to an increase in referrals to detox programs and addiction treatment. The findings were published in peer-reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the British Medical Journal, the Canadian Medical Association Journal and The Lancet. Despite the findings, federal Health Minister Tony Clement refused last year to extend Insite's operating licence for an additional three-and-a-half years. Instead, Clement approved a 16-month extension until December 2007 and cut off research funding to the B.C. Centre. On Tuesday, Clement gave Insite another reprieve, extending its licence until June 2008. Both times Clement announced extensions, he said more research on Insite was needed, particularly on how the facility affects prevention, treatment and crime. The Courier contacted Health Canada to determine which group or groups will conduct the research, but had not heard back before deadline. "We've already demonstrated that the opening of the site didn't have an adverse impact on crime and we also have shown that it didn't send a wrong message [to attract others to drug use]," Kerr said. "Twenty-five published studies later, how much more data do you need?" He argued that not nearly as much research has been done on behalf of the RCMP's DARE drug prevention program or drug courts, and yet both programs have been expanded. The B.C. Centre, however, will continue to conduct its own research on the site with funding from Vancouver Coastal Health and other agencies, Kerr said. He characterized the six-month reprieve as more about politics than science. He believes the Conservatives don't want to scrap Insite while they hold only a minority government. "They're hoping to have a majority and that will give them the power to go ahead and do what they want, which is roll out their U.S.-style war on drugs campaign and axe harm reduction programs." No one has died of an overdose at Insite, which is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. It's the only legal injection facility in North America. An average of 600 injections per day occur at the site, according to Vancouver Coastal Health, which operates the facility in conjunction with the PHS Community Services Society. The provincial government provides funding for the site's operation, which is allowed only because of an exemption under the country's drug laws. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake