FORMER MAYOR TOUTS VANCOUVER'S STREET-LEVEL SAFE INJECTION SITES

EDMONTON - Other cities should try to duplicate Vancouver's drug strategy,
says that city's former mayor.

The West Coast city adopted a new drug policy in 1997 hoping to transform
the way it manages its street drug problem, Philip Owen told delegates
Friday at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference in Edmonton.

Vancouver now tries to manage and control drug use with a safe injection
site and accompanying support services. The injection site opened in
November 2003 and serves about 800 users in an 18-hour day. The idea was at
first met with skepticism in the city and has continued to be somewhat
controversial. "There are injection sites in all of your communities, but
none of them are safe," Owen said.

Vancouver's strategy aims to keep drugs off the street while reducing the
spread of disease and preventing overdose deaths.

Because of the safe injection site, there are 800 fewer injections taking
place in alleys, streets and in rooming houses, said Larry Campbell,
Vancouver's current mayor.

He said there are five to 10 drug-overdose interventions a week in the city.

"As an ex-chief coroner, I can assure you that if we are having
interventions we are saving lives," he said.