MILLER URGES STUDY OF SAFE NEEDLE SITES

Drug Strategy Debated

Distributing clean needles and crack pipes to junkies is a "very
important public health initiative" for Toronto, Mayor David Miller
argued yesterday as city council began debating a new drug strategy.

The controversial strategy advocates expanded harm-reduction
strategies such as needle exchanges. In addition, it also calls for
the legalization of marijuana and further study of establishing safe
injection sites.

"People with serious addictions need help," Mr. Miller said. "And
some people can walk away given the right treatment program and a
bed. But others can't and you need a range of treatment options."

Providing clean drug paraphernalia to addicts prevents the spread of
diseases such as hepatitis C and the HIV virus, Mr. Miller told
reporters. "There are some pretty serious consequences here in terms
of disease. They don't just spread to the drug users. They spread to
the whole community," he said.

The strategy contains 66 recommendations designed to both prevent
drug use and mitigate its effects. Seventeen proposals are designated
as priorities, including developing a 24-hour crisis centre for
addicts and restricting the number of liquor licences in a single
neighbourhood. The plan also calls for the creation of a committee to
implement its recommendations, increased drug enforcement efforts in
public housing and a monitoring system in hospitals and morgues for
indications of new street drugs in Toronto.

While the spectre of Toronto opening a safe injection site has
created controversy, Mr. Miller yesterday questioned whether one
would ever open in the city. He argued that cities such as Vancouver
have opened clinics because of problems with rampant heroin use.
Because Toronto's drug problems are centred on crack and alcohol,
safe injection sites may not be useful for the city.

"On balance, it probably won't happen, but it should be studied.
That's really what the report is calling for, but I don't think that
provision should be attracting nearly the controversy that it is,"
Mr. Miller said.

Kyle Rae, the councillor who has championed the plan, said the
strategy only calls for "an evidence-based study" of the merits of
safe injection sites. "There are 50 of these sites around the world
and we need to know what their experience has been," Mr. Rae said.

Councillor Rob Ford, a vocal opponent of the strategy, argued drug
dealers and junkies might loiter around safe injection sites,
creating problems for the surrounding community.

But Mr. Rae said problems have not developed in Frankfurt, where he
visited a safe injection site that has operated for nearly a decade.

"There becomes a protocol among the users that you don't hang out
there, that you don't buy or sell in the neighbourhood, because you
don't want to disrupt the equilibrium in the neighbourhood," Mr. Rae said.

Toronto police, who were among the 30 community groups and public
agencies consulted during the strategy's development, have raised
concerns about safe injection sites.