Pubdate: Wed, 08 Apr 2015
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html
Website: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Kelly Egan
Page: A8

NEW LAW MEANS NO NEW SAFE-INJECTION SITE

In Ottawa, the Mayor and Police Chief Have Both Voiced Their Opposition

The federal government has signaled when the city of Ottawa will be 
able to open a safe-injection site for intravenous drug users. It's 
called never.

Little attention was paid when the House of Commons passed Bill C-2 
in late March. Drug addicts are like prison inmates: They make poor 
lobbyists. The law is called the Respect For Communities Act, one of 
those Orwellian names - like the Safe Streets Act - cooked up by the 
short-pants in Mind Control.

The act is a response to the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in 
2011 to uphold the existence of Vancouver's Insite drug clinic 
because it delivered health benefits without substantial negative 
effects on the community.

But the new law makes future applications so burdensome, not to 
mention politically charged, it's doubtful any would ever be approved.

"Should Bill C-2 become law, it will be extremely difficult to open a 
supervised injection anywhere in Canada, including in Ottawa," said 
Lisa Wright, a PhD candidate and an organizer with the Campaign for 
Safer Consumption Sites.

Those who've studied the new law say there are more than 25 
requirements, some of them highly detailed, to accompany any new 
application. Among them must be a letter from the mayor, the police 
chief, the chief medical officer and the relevant provincial minister.

The act does not say these authority figures must "approve" of the 
site, but it does seek opinions. It also asks for background checks 
on staff members and scientific evidence about the worthiness of the plan.

In Ottawa, both the mayor and police chief have stated their 
opposition to a safe-injection site and the public health department 
has remained neutral, saying it is monitoring the issue.

Wright, one of several members of the grassroots group, says it is 
obvious the Conservative government has politicized the issue, 
pointing to the involvement of law enforcement in what should be a 
health decision.

"If we conceive of drug use as a health issue, it should be within 
the purview of health authorities. We don't need the police chief to 
be a part of it, or a mayor's politicking."

This is, indeed, the classic disagreement in how drug addiction is 
viewed and treated: either as an illness that needs medical treatment 
or a selfish indulgence in an illegal product that needs to be caught 
and criminalized.

Thus, the chasm over the state being involved in providing a safe 
place for illegal drugs to be used under medical supervision.

The bill's preamble lays out both sides, including this graphic 
reference: "Whereas the money that is used to purchase controlled 
substances that are obtained from illicit sources often originates 
from criminal activity such as theft, and that money, in turn, often 
funds organized crime in our communities ..."

Wright also believes the act is in direct opposition to the spirit of 
the Supreme Court of Canada ruling, which held that Insite, a North 
American first, was providing a health benefit and could be 
legitimately exempted from federal drug laws.

"The experiment has proven successful. Insite has saved lives and 
improved health without increasing the incidence of drug use and 
crime in the surrounding area. It is supported by the Vancouver 
police, the city and provincial governments," reads a portion of the ruling.

Like other advocates, Wright is realistic. She does not believe the 
federal opposition will clear until there is a change in government.

"(We) are all holding our breath for the election."

The local campaign believes there may be as many as 5,000 intravenous 
drug users in Ottawa. Supervised sites not only reduce the number of 
fatal overdoses, but the provision of clean needles and counselling 
reduces the spread of diseases such as hepatitis and HIV, thus saving 
the health-care system.

A university study released in 2014 estimated it would cost $4 
million to operate two safe-injection clinics in Ottawa, but this 
would result in annual savings of $5 million by avoiding nine HIV and 
88 Hep-C infections.

It will probably never happen. The feds clearly hate the idea and the 
local movement lacks a champion with any heft. Seriously, who is 
going to fund and run the clinic?

We're busy, meanwhile, trying to put beer and wine in grocery stores 
and turning marijuana into medicine for the masses.

Politics and poisons: not a healthy mix.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom