NEEDLE USE RISES AMONG ADDICTS

The number of needles being used by intravenous drug users in Kamloops
has risen substantially in the last year, but crack cocaine is still
the No. 1 choice among addicts.

That's the word from Bob Hughes, executive director of ASK Wellness,
who keeps an eye on how many needles are handed out to users of
injectable drugs.

"We track every month the number of needles that go out and come in,"
he said.

"We're up 25 per cent over last year."

Hughes said ASK sees about 2,500 needles going out onto the street
each month.

Approximately 1,800 come back in to be disposed of
properly.

He said those numbers indicate more people are using heroin in the
Tournament Capital.

"It's not region-wide, but that's what we're seeing in Kamloops," he
said.

"It's higher use, which is to be expected with the higher levels of
transients we've had."

But crack cocaine is still the drug of choice for most Kamloops
users.

"We've been on a huge swing with crack use in the community for the
last five-to-eight years," Hughes said.

"History speaks pretty clearly and every decade you see a flip-flop
[between cocaine and opiates]. I would suspect that's what we're
beginning to see.

"Crack will always be there, but there's clear evidence that we're
going to see more opiates rolling through.

"Whether we see a corresponding drop in stimulants, that's yet to be
determined."

Hughes said it's promising to see drug users making use of ASK's
needle-exchange program, but he knows there are others who aren't.

"People are at least accessing clean needles [through the needle
exchange], which I'm glad to see," he said.

"I think [the Interior Health Authority] has their own needle exchange
program, too, so it's tough to gauge the true number.

"The reality is we see people who are long-term, hardcore users. Heavy
users, regular users, they'll come in with coffee cans full of used
needles."

The dirty needles, which are considered a biohazard, are
incinerated.

Despite the spike in heroin use locally, Hughes said it's still too
early to start thinking about a possible safe-injection site for Kamloops.

"I don't think we're there yet," he said.

"I wouldn't suggest that's the conclusion. They can barely keep the
one open in Vancouver.

"And you need to have community consensus. You'd have the BIA's
[business improvement areas] up in arms because you really do
centralize that activity.

"No neighbourhood wants to take that on the chin."