Drug use is commonplace in many cities and the physical addition can be paralyzing for many. Safe injection sites started popping up in the 1980s in Europe, also known as drug consumption rooms (DCRs). They now exist in cities in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Australia. The first safe injection site in North America, Insite, began operating as a pilot project in Vancouver, BC in 2003, and was recently given the go-ahead to remain open, after a Supreme Court battle with the federal government.
Overdose deaths went down by 35% in the area near the Canadian safe injection facility in the two years after it opened a new study shows.
Thomas Kerr of the Urban Health Research Initiative said this is the first time a substantial reduction in OD deaths was linked to the establishment of a safe injection site. Kerr said the opening of the site reduces behaviors that lead to fatal infections such as HIV and Hepatitis C because of the presence of nurses who supervise IV drug use. He added that public disorder is also cut since the intravenous drug users are not loitering in the streets.
While there have been methodological criticisms of the evaluation studies supporting safe injection sites, and Insite in particular, critics on the other side argue there is no substantial basis for these criticisms. Ultimately, the strong views on both sides appear to be driven by political ideology, and depending on whether the person expressing the view approves or disapproves of harm reduction in principle.
Ottawa, however, doubted the evidence of benefit and tried to close Insite. Despite the study, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford reiterated that he is not in favor of opening such a site in Ontario’s capital city. The British Columbia Court of Appeals, in a January 2010 decision, decided that the province has jurisdiction over the facility because Insite provides a heath care service.
Several research studies have shown that safe injection sites have advantages for drug injectors and for the community, including a reduction in many of the harmful aspects of drug use on the individual (spread of infections, risk of overdose) and to society (drug-related crime, public exposure to drug injecting paraphernalia), as well as positive benefits (increase in education about safety among injectors, more drug users accessing treatment and other services). Extensive research has been conducted at Insite in Vancouver, with positive results.
Critics have argued against the introduction of safe injection sites, largely based on the principle that drug addiction is wrong, and should not be condoned in any way. The political focus on reducing harm to drug users deflects the focus from where it belongs, which is on the prevention and treatment of drug abuse. Introducing safe injection sites is seen as a step towards drug legalization, and undermines law enforcement principles and practices.
Despite proof of benefit decreasing overdoses and even drug needle HIV infections, Ottawa elevated the case to the Supreme Court of Canada, which will hold a hearing on the suit on May 12.
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Written by Sy Kraft