B.C. MIGHT COME TO DEFENCE OF INSITE

Mulls intervening in federal appeal of judgment favouring drug facility

VANCOUVER -- B.C. Health Minister George Abbott says the province
might intervene in a court case that could determine the future of
Vancouver's supervised injected site -- and a possible similar site in
Victoria.

Abbott said he is disappointed by the federal government's decision to
appeal a B.C. court ruling that would let the Insite facility stay
open indefinitely.

"We have not made a decision [about intervening in the appeal] yet,"
he said. "I've had a couple of brief discussions with the
attorney-general and we need to have more before we reach some
conclusion on whether it's valuable or appropriate for us to apply
[for intervenor status]."

The legal status of the injection site is critical for B.C., he
said.

"It is a very important case involving a health facility we believe is
important in the continuum of care for people with addictions and for
people with mental illness."

Abbott also made it clear he thinks more injection sites might be
needed. Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe and the Vancouver Island Health
Authority are hoping to establish one in the city.

"Insite is an interesting model and a model with considerable
potential," Abbott said.

Last week, B.C. Supreme Court Judge Ian Pitfield ruled that Insite can
stay open indefinitely because it provides a form of health care to
which drug users have a right. He said Canada's drug laws on
possession and trafficking, from which the injection site has to get
an exemption to operate, were too broad and arbitrary.

Pitfield declared those laws invalid, but suspended that declaration
for a year in order to allow the federal government a chance to
rewrite them in a way that allows Insite to keep operating without
exemptions.

Abbott said he was surprised that federal Health Minister Tony Clement
not only decided to appeal but that he and others in his government
came out with very strong statements indicating they don't believe the
scientific research surrounding Insite has proved that it benefits
drug users or the community.

"I was disappointed by that. I had hoped to talk to the health
minister before he made that decision."

Clement said the science supporting Insite was mixed and that he did
not support what it was doing.