FREE CRACK PIPES GIVEN TO VANCOUVER ADDICTS

Crack addicts in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have started receiving
free crack pipes as part of a Vancouver Coastal Health Authority harm
reduction strategy aimed at curbing the spread of disease.

Part of a $60,000 trial project first announced in August, the pipes
are just one piece of drug paraphernalia found inside kits that have
been distributed to users in the troubled neighbourhood since the
beginning of the month. The glass pipes are heatresistant and
shatterproof, which experts say should reduce injury to the users'
lips and mouth - wounds that can make them more susceptible to
diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C.

Also included are mouthpieces, filters, alcohol swabs, screens and push sticks.

While harm reduction tools such as these have been made available to
addicts in the past, this marks the first time that they have been
combined in a single kit, said Trudi Beutel, a spokesperson for the
health authority. In total, 60,000 kits are expected to be
distributed at five locations during an eight-month trial period.

"What this boils down to is it's about disease prevention," said
Beutel. "It's about preventing more communicable diseases which land
these people in hospital on a frequent basis and clog up emergency rooms."

Beutel said the project, which comes at a time when crack is enjoying
a local surge in popularity, also will allow health officials to
determine if the distribution of the kits is an effective way to
engage users and steer them toward detox services.