DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE DRUG DEATHS SOAR

Residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have seven times the
provincial rate of drug-induced deaths, says a study by the Canadian
Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use.

They also have a 33-per-cent higher death rate than the rest of
Vancouver.

Meanwhile, illicit drug deaths went down in Vancouver and the rest of
B.C. in 2006, the study says.

It also says the rate of newly identified hepatitis C cases declined
in Vancouver last year, but the city's rate was still higher than the
provincial average.

New cases of HIV connected to intravenous drug use were also down last
year over the previous year.

The network says the study was done to help policy makers and
community leaders develop better programs and techniques to reduce
drug use.