EARLY EVIDENCE SHOWS INJECTION SITE IS HELPING ADDICTS AND COMMUNITY

It's not often that we hear anything optimistic about injection drug use,
but Vancouver's supervised injection facility seems to be producing more
than its fair share of good news.

The site is the subject of ongoing studies to determine whether it decreases
the transmission of blood-borne diseases, the incidence of overdoses and the
nuisance associated with public drug use. While more research needs to be
completed, early indications are that the site is helping both drug addicts
and the community.

Last November, the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS reported a
noticeable decrease in public injection drug use in the Downtown Eastside
after the site was opened. Not surprisingly, there was also a corresponding
decrease in the number of syringes and injection-related litter discarded in
public, which is a positive development for people who live and work in the
area.

The study also found that there is reason to believe the site has
contributed to the quality of life of some addicts and has saved the lives
of others. Between March and August 2004, professional staff at the site
made a total of 262 referrals to counselling services and a further 78
referrals to detox programs.

While 107 overdoses occurred at the site in that time period, all those
suffering from overdoses recovered, including one person who required CPR
before an ambulance arrived. While many people recover from overdoses
without medical intervention, it's reasonable to assume the site saved at
least a few lives.

In March, a study published in the prestigious British medical journal The
Lancet reported that users of the site are less likely to share needles than
those who don't go to it. (This is so even when regular site-users inject
drugs elsewhere, as occasionally happens.) Since needle-sharing is one of
the main avenues for blood-borne disease transmission, there's reason to
believe the site is helping to keep down the rates of HIV and hepatitis C
infections.

On Tuesday, the American Journal for Preventive Medicine released yet
another study by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. It found the site
is attracting high-risk drug users, precisely those at whom the site is
aimed. This most recent study discovered that those who use the site were
more likely to be under 30 years of age, homeless, public drug users (as
opposed to those who use at home), daily users of either heroin or cocaine,
and were more likely to have recently overdosed.

All of these factors increase the risk for blood-borne disease transmission
and further overdoses, and also increase the likelihood of contributing to
the problems of public drug use and unsafe disposal of syringes.
Consequently, it is people characterized by these risk factors who most need
a safe, supervised site in which to shoot up. So it's a positive sign that
these people are availing themselves of the site in disproportionate
numbers.

Although more research must be conducted to find conclusive evidence that
the site has contributed to a reduction in the transmission of HIV and
hepatitis C, there is little doubt it is helping those most in need of
assistance, that it has helped to foster healthier behaviours among drug
addicts, and that it has aided in cleaning up the streets of the Downtown
Eastside.

Detractors might still oppose the supervised injection site for a variety of
reasons, but the evidence in its favour is steadily increasing.