THE TORIES DON'T UNDERSTAND HARM REDUCTION

I am trained as a nurse, not a lobbyist. So perhaps I was naive to
think that when I was invited last week to address the House of
Commons health committee (along with a team of health and policy
experts from Vancouver), Stephen Harper's government would listen to
the facts about Insite, North America's first supervised
drug-injection site. Instead, we were lectured by federal Health
Minister Tony Clement about how those supporting Insite were
misguided ideologues -- a position Mr. Clement amplified in his
recent National Post column ("A better way to treat addicts," May
30). Apparently, Messrs. Clement and Harper really care about drug
addiction, whereas medical professionals such as myself are the ones
who endorse suffering.

I wanted to weep at the implications of our government's collective
ignorance. The committee offered statement after statement that was
plain wrong. It was a huge affront to the legions of researchers,
public health officials, medical scientists, nurses, doctors and
representatives of international bodies (such as the United Nations
and the World Health Organization) who have long endorsed
harm-reduction strategies as essential to assisting those with drug addictions.

The politicians didn't have to listen to me. But what about listening
to one of the world's most renowned doctors and researchers in the
treatment of HIV/AIDS? Or the federally funded researcher who has
produced more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific papers? What about the
officer from the Vancouver Police Department who explained that

Insite and local police work together to limit public disorder? What
about B. C.'s Premier and Minister of Health, or Vancouver's Mayor
and Chief of police?

When first questioned about Insite in the spring of 2006, the Prime
Minister said he would wait for the RCMP to study the matter before
commenting. But when the RCMP's results on Insite came in, they
weren't released because they were seen as too positive. Last year,
Stephen Harper's politically appointed expert advisory committee
concluded that Insite causes no adverse affect on drug use or crime,
that it acts as a deterrent to drug use, and that Insite encourages
users to seek detox and treatment. More than half of the police
officers interviewed thought Insite should remain open.

In his recent decision supporting Insite, Judge Ian Pitfield of the
B. C. Supreme Court demonstrated his understanding of a principle
that Mr. Harper seems incapable of grasping: Addiction is a complex,
chronic and relapsing disease. Justice Pitfield's ruling recognizes
that Insite's program deserves protection under the Charter of Rights
and Freedoms. He recognizes the facility's essential role as a
primary health care facility and a necessary treatment access point
for people who are clearly sick.

The fact that Stephen Harper wants to appeal Judge Pitfield's
decision shows he is continuing to ignore the evidence. The Harper
government is displaying arrogance in the face of an issue its
ministers clearly do not understand.

- -Liz Evans is a nurse and the executive director of the PHS Community
Services Society, which operates Insite.