Pubdate: Sun, 21 Sep 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: Cheryl Chan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?142 (Supervised Injection Sites)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Insite

INSITE MARKS SHAKY ANNIVERSARY

Despite Claims Of Success, Ottawa Still Wants To Shut It Down

When Insite, North America's first supervised drug-injection site 
marks its fifth anniversary in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside 
tomorrow, the celebration will be tempered with disappointment.

Despite research that shows Insite works, the federal government has 
refused to support it, say members of PHS Community Service, which 
runs the facility along with Vancouver Coastal Health.

"Old arguments against Insite just don't stand up against real 
research," executive director Liz Evans told The Province. "It's time 
to accept that supervised-injection sites are a necessary part of the 
comprehensive plan needed to seriously address drug addiction." "It's 
time for Stephen Harper to listen to the evidence and put public 
health before politics," said PHS spokesman Mark Townsend.

Insite has been the subject of more than 30 peer-reviewed studies and 
several government-commissioned reports that show it has a positive 
impact in the community, has taken more than a million injections off 
city streets, has intervened in more than 850 overdoses, has reduced 
transmission of HIV and hepatitis C and does not attract new drug users.

Townsend said it is "disappointing" to be constantly fighting the 
battle against Ottawa, despite support from the municipal and 
provincial governments and nearly 80 per cent of doctors in the 
Canadian Medical Association.

"The sad part of it is, there's lots more to do," said Townsend. 
"We've opened detox beds, we're trying to establish therapeutic 
[services] with horse therapy. We run a dental clinic and a medical 
clinic, but our time gets sucked up trying to keep [Insite] on the 
table." In addition to Insite, PHS Community Services also operates 
Onsite's 12 detox beds and several transitional beds for patients 
waiting to get into a long-term treatment facility.

Insite, which sees about 600 to 1,100 users daily, has operated in 
the Downtown Eastside since 2003 under an exemption from the federal 
Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

The permit had already been extended twice when in May, the B.C. 
Supreme Court granted it a constitutional exemption.

The federal government is appealing the decision, with the case 
scheduled to be heard in April 2009.

Meanwhile, federal candidates on the campaign trail have offered 
words of support.

The Liberals have promised to renew Insite's federal licence as part 
of their made-in-B.C. platform. Green Party leader Elizabeth May has 
also pledged support.

Townsend said it shouldn't matter who is in power.

"We don't see it as a political issue," he said. "No matter who's in 
power, you need to know a health issue like this isn't politically 
interfered with." Invited speakers at tomorrow's news conference 
include Dr. Julio Montaner, president of the International AIDS 
Society, and Prof. Neil Boyd of Simon Fraser University.
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