Pubdate: Sat, 01 Oct 2011 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2011 The Vancouver Sun Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Author: Lee Berthiaume, Postmedia News Bookmark: mapinc.org/topic/Insite U.S. WANTED VANCOUVER'S SUPERVISED INJECTION SITE CLOSED OTTAWA - A diplomatic cable shows U.S. officials opposed the Insite supervised injection site in Vancouver and wanted the federal and municipal governments to shut it down. The reference to Vancouver-based Insite is found in a U.S. Embassy assessment of Canadian drug policy dated Nov. 2, 2009 and released through Wikileaks. The memo is generally favourable of the federal Conservative government's efforts to clamp down on the production and distribution of illicit drugs, including a national awareness campaign targeting youth and parents. "However, local and provincial authorities have embarked on a number of so-called 'harm-reduction' programs," reads the cable, "including a drug injection site and distribution of drug paraphernalia to chronic users." The document notes the federal government "continues to deliver a sharp message" to cities and provinces about the programs, but called for stronger action. "Canada, or, as appropriate, municipalities such as Vancouver and Ottawa, should implement the (International Narcotics Control Board's) recommendations to eliminate drug injection sites and drug paraphernalia distribution programs," the cable reads, "because they violate international drug control treaties." The INCB is an independent body established to monitor implementation of UN international drug control conventions. It has been the subject of some controversy for demanding rigid adherence to strict drug control laws. The Supreme Court of Canada on Friday overrode the federal government's refusal to grant a permit extension to Insite, located in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. The judges unanimously ruled that the government's actions were "arbitrary," that closing the clinic would endanger the health and safety of Insite users, and the issue was ultimately a provincial matter, not federal. The ruling ordered a permanent exemption from Canada's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The decision is expected to result in similar supervised injection sites opening in other cities across Canada. Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said while the federal government is disappointed with the ruling, it will comply. Her office did not respond to questions about discussions with the U.S. on Insite. The U.S. Embassy said it did not have any comment on Friday's Supreme Court decision. Liberal MP Joyce Murray didn't believe Insite and the emergence of more supervised injection sites across Canada would become an irritant in relations with the U.S. But even if it does, she said they are too important to appease another country. "What the United States is doing and saying has nothing to do with this," she said. "Canada has to make decisions that are in the interests of the safety and the lives of Canadian citizens. And we have to be able to stand up to the United States." Chris Sands, a Canada-U.S. expert at the Washington, D.C.-based Hudson Institute, didn't believe U.S. officials were actively pressuring the government to crack down on Insite. That's because the Conservative government shared U.S. opposition to supervised injection sites. And while American officials may disagree with the Supreme Court's decision on Insite, Sands doesn't believe the issue will become a major irritant. "We might let you know we disapprove," he said. "But they're not likely to make a bilateral issue out of it. There are bigger fish to fry." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom