PROFILE: HARM, OVERDOSE TO BE DRASTICALLY REDUCED

Interim Service to Address Substance Abuse, Drug Decriminalization

If you are going to do drugs, SSMU won't judge -- it just wants you
to do them safely.

The Harm Reduction Centre (HRC) is an interim SSMU service that will
give students the low-down on substance abuse this fall, before being
considered for status as a full-time club.

The Centre aims to educate students on substance abuse and safer
substance-use, as well as lobby for the revision of national and
international drug policy.

"This information should be provided by the government, by the
administration, but it's not -- and we're here to make certain that
it is easily available to any student," said HRC Co-coordinator Eric
Rumi, co-founder of the Centre.

VP Clubs and Services Floh Herra-Vega said that the Centre will be a
valuable resource that has been missing on campus. She recommended
the HRC for status as an interim service and helped the group with
administrative, logistical, and budgetary issues over the summer.

"It's available to those who may have friends or family with
substance abuse problems, to help students whose use has
unfortunately turned to abuse, and to see that those who choose to do
drugs do so safely," Herra-Vega said.

According to Rumi, the HRC "neither condemns nor condones drug use.
We are 100 per cent bipartisan and non-judgmental." He said he
expects a positive response from the student body, because he
believes this is an issue that students care about.

SSMU has no official policy on drug use and Herra Vega sees no
conflict between the HRC's position and the SSMU constitution, noting
that other services like Queer McGill and SACOMSS also have
well-defined political agendas.

To begin its outreach, the HRC distributed around 3,000 pamphlets in
frosh kits with tips for staying safe during frosh week.

The HRC's web site will also feature a guide to harm reduction with
facts about specific substances as well as personal accounts of
experiences with drugs.

Rumi also said the Centre will coordinate with the new Canadian
division of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, an American
organization that works for the decriminalization of illegal
substances and lobbies for drug law reform.

"It's obvious that drug prohibition has failed to curb the use of
drugs in society," he said.

He said that the HRC further aims to integrate students into the
greater human rights struggle -- specifically, the prevention of HIV
and at-risk drug use, and the push for change in the United Nations'
drug policy.

The HRC will have temporary status until November, when SSMU Council
will review the service's contributions and vote on whether to make
the HRC a permanent service.

Students are invited to attend HRC's next meeting this Thursday at 5
p.m. in the Arts Lounge.