Pubdate: Mon, 01 Dec 2008 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2008 Canwest Publishing Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Sarah Kamdar A SAFE-INJECTION CLINIC LIKE INSITE MIGHT HAVE KEPT MY AUNT ALIVE In response to two recent columns on supervised drug injection as part of the "treatment" for heroin addicts, I'd like to tell you about my aunt. At 17, she was addicted to cocaine.Her life spiralled downhill. She stopped showing up to school, she was never home, and all of her old friends abandoned her. Ten years later, at 26, she still lived an addicted lifestyle. Later that year, my mother received the phone call she had dreaded. My aunt had died of a drug overdose. I believe safe-injection sites can prevent users like my aunt from dying. Safe-injection sites create a safer environment for civilians as well as the users. If someone is addicted to drugs anyway, why not make it safer for them? There are so many dangers on the streets. There are laced drugs, overdoses, dealers and other addicts who can hurt the public and themselves. If more centres like Insite existed, most of these problems could be prevented. Such sites also provide counseling and treatment. Since the opening of Insite there are lower HIV-infection rates, and more people are going into treatment. I understand some believe safe-injection sites just enable the user to continue using and don't teach them the lesson that drugs are a bad thing. But the statistics show safe-injection sites really are a positive for our society. Let's save all of those people who are doing drugs and dying by giving them the option of rehabilitation, counseling and safe needles. Sarah Kamdar Vancouver - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin