ALLOWING INSITE IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO

The sky hasn't fallen since Canada's first safe injection site opened
its doors to addicts in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside in 2003. Far
from it, in fact.

The facility has done exactly what the health-care system should be
doing -- improving the health of Canadians, especially the most
marginalized and difficult to reach.

With a unanimous ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court of Canada firmly
ended a misguided and ideologically led effort by the federal
government to shut down that safe injection site -- Insite -- despite
overwhelming evidence of its success. The court ruled that shutting
down Insite (by denying an exemption under the Controlled Drugs and
Substances Act) would be arbitrary and grossly disproportionate.

In doing so, the court has opened the door a crack for similar sites
to be set up in other communities, if they can make a case they
deserve an exemption from federal drug law. A leading doctor is
already talking about spearheading a site in Ottawa, where high
overdose and HIV infection rates are real concerns. Police Chief Vern
White and Mayor Jim Watson appear to have already made up their minds
that there is no place for harm reduction in Ottawa, which suggests
the lessons of the Insite battle have not yet been learned.

If the idea of harm reduction shocks residents of cities that might
eventually see such facilities, or politicians who have helped spread
fear and mistruths about the issue, or police officials whose support
is key, the words of the nine Supreme Court justices should help.

"The experiment has proven successful. Insite has saved lives and
improved health without increasing the incidence of drug use and crime
in the surrounding area."

The science on Insite is old news. When it was set up with the support
of Vancouver police, the city and the B.C. government in 2003, it was,
in large part, a scientific research project.

"It is a strictly regulated health facility, and its personnel are
guided by strict policies and procedures. It does not provide drugs to
its clients, who must check in, sign a waiver, and are closely
monitored during and after injection. Its clients are provided with
healthcare information, counselling, and referrals to various service
providers or an on-site, on-demand detox centre," read part of the
Supreme Court decision.

Research has found that Insite has numerous benefits, among them a
reduction of public injections, needle sharing and neighbourhood
litter. It also found that patients at the site increased their use of
detox and long-term addiction treatment and that the program has saved
taxpayers millions every year and, crucially, saved lives.

Friday's court ruling should do what the overwhelmingly positive
research has, inexplicably, failed to do -- put an end to the
politically motivated battle against an initiative that makes sense,
not just for addicts, but for people living in cities where addicts
hide in alleyways to inject drugs. It should also smooth the way for
other Canadian cities to follow Vancouver's example without the fear
of being hounded by the federal government for simply trying to do the
right thing.