SITES REDUCE PUBLIC HARM

Re: The harm in 'harm reduction,' May 17.

In her opinion article, Margret Kopala fails to consider that harm
reduction interventions like Vancouver's Insite safe injection
facility reduce harm, not just among drug users, but among the
population as a whole.

Look no further than Canada's southern neighbour for tragic examples
of what can happen when governments declare all-out war on drug
users. U.S. Centers for Disease Control researchers estimate that 57
per cent of AIDS cases among women and 36 per cent of overall AIDS
cases in the U.S. are linked to injection drug use or sex with
partners who inject drugs.

This preventable public health crisis is a direct result of zero
tolerance laws that restrict access to clean syringes. Can Canada
afford to emulate the harm maximization approach of the former land
of the free and the current record holder in citizens incarcerated?

Robert Sharpe, Washington, D.C. Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy