PRESSURE MOUNTS TO KEEP INJECTION SITE

Canada's Health Minister Tony Clement was put under the spotlight
yesterday when supporters of a safe-injection site for IV drug users
demanded to know whether the federal government was going to renew
its legal exemption.

But Mr. Clement was not providing hints on what the future holds for
Vancouver's landmark safe-injection site, which sparked the concern
of doctors, researchers and drug users.

"The evidence is irrefutable," Julio Montaner, director of the
British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV-AIDS and
president-elect of the International AIDS Society, said at a press
conference yesterday.

Researchers cited studies they had done on Insite, a place where drug
addicts get clean needles, medical help in the event of an overdose
and assistance entering detoxification programs, should they desire
it. For instance, a study published in The Lancet found the
safe-injection site has reduced overall rates of needle-sharing in
the community. (Those who share needles run the risk of spreading HIV.)

The safe-injection site -- the only one in North America -- was
granted a three-year operating exemption by the previous Liberal
government under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances
Act. That exemption ends on Sept. 12.

Without it, Insite, which accommodates more than 600 drug addicts
each day, would have to shut down.

During the last federal election campaign, while still Opposition
Leader, Stephen Harper said he was opposed to providing government
support for the use of illegal drugs.

And that has made people such as Mark Townsend, with the Portland
Hotel Society, the non-profit affordable housing charity that
administers Insite in conjunction with the Vancouver Coastal Health
Authority, concerned.

Mr. Townsend was concerned enough that he attempted to confront Mr.
Clement about the federal government's position in the morning at the
International AIDS conference, without much success.

But by afternoon and in front of an audience of about 1,000 people,
Mr. Townsend made the bold move of jumping on stage, where members of
a panel that included Mr. Clement were discussing HIV vaccine
research. Mr. Townsend took to the podium, where he stressed the
importance of the Vancouver site. The B.C. government lent its weight
yesterday to the campaign to keep the safe-injection site operating.

Weighing in on the controversy for the first time, Premier Gordon
Campbell said he feels the clinic has done a good job of improving
services to people. He noted that numerous studies, including one
commissioned by the RCMP, have reported positive benefits from the site.

"We think it's a positive step, and we believe it should continue. We
have let the federal government know that," Mr. Campbell told
reporters, after announcing a mid-term cabinet shuffle.

Its supporters unexpectedly found another ally in former U.S.
president Bill Clinton, who, at another press conference yesterday,
spoke in favour of harm-reduction measures like needle-exchange
programs and safe-injection sites for intravenous drug users.

While he did not specifically mention the Vancouver site, Mr. Clinton
did say the scientific evidence clearly shows that these programs
reduce the transmission of HIV-AIDS and do not lead to higher rates
of drug use.

Mr. Clinton's position is particularly notable because, as president,
he opposed harm-reduction measures.

"I think I was wrong," Mr. Clinton said candidly.

Meanwhile, Mr. Clement announced yesterday an immediate,
comprehensive review of the legislation that was supposed to send
less expensive, generic versions of HIV-AIDS drugs to Africa. Calling
the legislation flawed, he said it must be reviewed sooner rather
than later. Canada's Access to Medicines Regime is two years old but
not one pill has been exported.