Pubdate: Wed, 17 Oct 2007
Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 Vancouver Courier
Contact:  http://www.vancourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474
Author: Mike Howell
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?142 (Supervised Injection Sites)

ADDICTS INJECTING ILLEGALLY BUT SAFELY

Dr. Peter Centre Hasn't Heard Back From Police

A downtown facility for people with deteriorating health caused by 
AIDS continues to operate its drug injection room without approval 
from Health Canada.

The Dr. Peter Centre's three-stall injection room serves up to 50 
HIV-positive clients who regularly inject illegal drugs inside the 
building at Comox and Thurlow.

The federal government has known for several years that the injection 
room has operated without an exemption under the country's drug laws. 
But the government won't say why the centre was not granted an 
exemption, which would mean nurses and clients can't be charged with 
a drug crime while inside the injection room.

The government has also left the decision to shut down the site in 
the hands of the Vancouver Police Department, which has not taken any 
action against the centre or its clients.

Maxine Davis, the centre's executive director, pointed out there have 
been no arrests or overdose deaths since the injection room opened in 
February 2002.

"What public good would be served for police to enter a supervised 
injection site to arrest a drug user trying to stay safe and 
healthy?" Davis said.

She recently contacted the office of Vancouver Police Department 
Deputy Chief Bob Rich to notify him the centre continues to operate 
without Health Canada's approval.

"If they had any issues with that, I would request that they would 
call and have a discussion with us rather than blind-siding us. We 
haven't heard anything further than that."

Davis contacted Rich after Health Minister Tony Clement announced 
Oct. 2 that Insite on East Hastings would legally be allowed to 
continue operating until June 2008. Clement made no mention of the 
centre's injection room.

Over the past two weeks, the Courier has left several messages with 
Health Canada and Clement's office to discuss Insite and injection 
drug use. So far, there has been no reply.

Davis said the centre believed it had received an exemption from 
Health Canada in 2003. Vancouver Coastal Health, on behalf of the 
centre, applied to Health Canada in 2002 for the exemption. The 
request was included in the application for Insite, the only legal 
injection site in North America, which opened in September 2003.

"It's my understanding that when the [federal health] minister was 
presented with signing off on the exemption for Insite in the fall of 
2006, and was advised of a second site that inadvertently did not get 
signed in the first go round, that he declined to approve it," Davis 
said. "I don't know why and I don't what it means."

Although possession of drugs is illegal, Davis said nurses working in 
the injection room are not contravening the law. Nurses do not 
provide, handle or inject the drugs, she added.

"We acknowledge that there is some risk that the police could lay 
criminal charges," she said. "But even if they did, the charges 
simply wouldn't stick because nurses are carrying out their 
professional nursing practice standards according to their regulatory body."

The centre opened the injection room in February 2002 after 
consulting with the College of Registered Nurses and the centre's 
lawyer. Prior to opening the injection room, two clients overdosed at 
the centre--one in a washroom, the other in a laundry room. Neither 
person died but the close calls provided an impetus to open the 
injection room, said Davis, adding that more than 2,000 safe 
injections have occurred at the site.

The centre houses a day health program and a 24-hour care residence. 
It caters to people with AIDS. About 70 per cent of clients have 
either a history of using drugs or are struggling with addiction.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom