AIDS ACTIVIST ACCUSES TORIES OF ENDORSING 'GENOCIDE' POLICY

Insite Controversy

VANCOUVER - An international AIDS activist accused the Conservative
government of endorsing a policy of "genocide" against injection drug
addicts, as health professionals gathered yesterday to celebrate the
fifth anniversary of North America's first supervised injection site.

Dr. Julio Montaner, president of the International AIDS Society and a
founding codirector of the Canadian HIV Trials Network, took aim at
recent attacks by Health Minister Tony Clement targeting the Insite
safe-injection site and the physicians who support it.

"These people, they have no morals," Dr. Montaner said. "They want
these people [addicts] gone."

Insite's supporters gathered yesterday to celebrate the facility's
accomplishments -- overdoses prevented, lives saved. But they
couldn't resist taking shots at Mr. Clement, who slammed the Canadian
Medical Association last month for supporting supervised injection
sites, also referred to as "harm-reduction" sites.

"Is it ethical for health care professionals to support the
distribution of drugs that are of unknown substance, or purity or
potency -- drugs that cannot be legally prescribed?" Mr. Clement said
to the CMA's annual convention in Montreal.

Mr. Clement's office refused to comment on Dr. Montaner's accusations
yesterday.

Internal polling by the CMA indicates that 80% of doctors favour
supervised injection sites. These doctors support an integrated
approach that includes detox, addiction treatment and housing.

Mr. Clement has said he would prefer to see Insite's annual
$3-million budget going toward drug treatment and housing for
sex-trade workers in Vancouver's gritty Downtown Eastside.

The B. C. Supreme Court has extended Insite's protection from drug
laws, allowing it to continue operating. Even though the B. C.
government supports Insite, the federal government is appealing the
Supreme Court decision.

Since opening, the facility has taken more than one million
injections off the streets, alleys, parks and doorways of Vancouver.