WE NEED MORE SAFE-INJECTION SITES

When people support safe injection sites, it doesn't mean they condone
the use of hard drugs.

What they are doing is looking for a better way to cope with a serious
health problem. Clearly, punishing addicts is not working. Throwing
people in jail for shooting heroin, crack or crystal meth into their
veins does nothing to reduce criminal activity.

Supervised drug injection sites, however, are making a difference,
according to the most recent study into the Vancouver test site.
Criminologist Neil Boyd looked at the impact of Insite on public order
between 2000 and 2006. He said Monday that rather than increasing
crime in its neighbourhood, results show a modest decline in public
drug use.

His findings also reveal a savings in health care and law enforcement.
Addicts who have access to clean needles are less likely to contract
HIV or Hepatitis C, which reduces visits to doctors and hospitals, and
subsequent treatments.

Yet, despite the scientific evidence that backs up the validity of
supervised safe-injection sites, the federal government continues to
waffle on whether it will extend the licence for the site past its
June 30 deadline.

Proponents of Insite want the licence extended for 10 years. But the
harm-reduction approach to drug use doesn't fit into the Conservatives
get-tough on crime platform. It doesn't appeal to voters who view safe
injection sites as pandering to criminals.

Unfortunately, Canadians who want a quick solution to a complex issue
are not taking the time to carry out their own research on the best
way to cope with addicts. Even if they are only concerned about their
own tax dollar, taxpayers will discover that safe-injection sites save
money.

Politicians must not kowtow to people who want the police to handle
the war on drugs alone. The facts are indisputable. Enforcement simply
won't work on what is a health problem. Drug addicts are seriously ill
and treatment, not jail, is their only hope.

Offering them a chance at staying healthy is the first step toward
helping them to find a way out of the downhill spiral of drug addiction.

The old methods of dealing with drug addicts has had its day. It has
failed. Canadian cities are filled with users and disease from shared
needles. Vancouver's safe-injection site is proof there is a better
way to ease this problem.

It's may never be a perfect solution, but jailing addicts only means
the government is giving up. The Conservatives will be putting stale
ideology before the good of its citizens if it refuses to extend a
program that even the Vancouver police supports.

Safe-injection sites need to be expanded throughout Canada, not
eliminated and replaced with handcuffs.