VICTORIA ACCEPTS 'CRACK KIT' DISTRIBUTION

Esquimalt wants nothing to do with them, but Victoria is impatient to
get the crack kits flowing.

City council is supporting the Vancouver Island Health Authority's
push to distribute free crack paraphernalia.

In a draft letter to VIHA, council requested a pilot project to
distribute crack kits.

"It is clear that harm reduction initiatives go a long way to reducing
the transmission of communicable disease," said council's letter of
support.

Dr. Murray Fyfe, VIHA medical health officer, confirmed the benefits
of crack kits have not been widely studied. But research has shown
that crack pipes can carry hepatitis C-positive blood, he said. The
plan is to distribute the crack kits through the same agencies
distributing needles for drug injection.

Instead of handing out complete kits, as they do in Prince George and
Toronto, Victoria's kits will only include a mouth piece and push
stick. The mouth piece - actually rubber tubing from the hardware
store - fits over the end of the pipe.

Kits would cost taxpayers only pennies apiece and, unlike needles,
could be reused by the drug addicts several times.

In Esquimalt, the kits proved more contentious and were
rejected.

The crack kits were first distributed in Nanaimo two years ago, but
were stopped due to public pressure and lack of consultation with the
p[ublic and city.

The city has not yet asked to restart discussions with VIHA about the
kits.