NO FAN OF INSITE

Re: "Bring back the free crack pipes," Jeremy Klaszus, Opinion, Sept. 5.

Jeremy Klaszus included only half of my statement in his column
regarding Vancouver East's Insite, misrepresenting my position. I
cannot, in good conscience, support initiatives like Insite that
enable and encourage the habitual use of harmful and addictive substances.

There are no peer-reviewed, scientifically sound studies that support
claims that safe injection sites save lives and have significant
success in helping their clients to become drug free. Further, up to
97 per cent of injections take place away from the Insite location,
negating arguments that Insite limits the transmission of blood-borne
diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

Let's be clear: illegal drugs cause harm; therefore, the most
important harm reduction measure is to get people off drugs.

Our Conservative government believes investment in prevention and
treatment is the most effective method of harm reduction. This is why
we introduced a national anti-drug strategy focused on prevention and
treatment for those with drug dependencies. We can do better for
people with addictions and we must.

Joy Smith

Ottawa