A BETTER OPTION THAN INSITE

Re: Drug Law Violates Charter, Court Rules, May 28.

One of the arguments advanced for keeping Vancouver's Insite
injection site open is that it is said to reduce the risk of
spreading HIV through shared needles. Yet a more effective, low-cost
solution is available that does not require a building, a
bureaucracy, lobby groups and political posturing. It would save
thousands of lives for pennies each, compared to the $3-million
Insite budget, which is said to save one "theoretical" life a year.

That solution is the StarSyringe. It was invented by a British man,
Mark Koska, who reasoned that the solution to the needle-sharing
problem would be a needle that self-destructs after one use. He
worked for 17 years before he sold the first one in Africa. His
company has now sold one billion of its devices in 21 developing
countries. This inexpensive product, approved by the World Health
Organization, has helped to save more than five million lives, with
Uganda cutting its AIDS infection rate in half.

Instead of pandering to the delusion that the entire world is
breathlessly watching Vancouver's Insite experiment, perhaps B. C.
politicians might spend a few minutes on research to learn from other
countries.

In this case, a solution has been found with cheap, self-destructing
needles that demonstrate solid results, unlike the shabby math and
questionable science put forward by Insite promoters.

Victor Godin, Vancouver.