SAFE INJECTION SITE WORTH A SHOT

Regarding your thoughtful Oct. 5 editorial, safe injection sites
demonstrably reduce the spread of HIV without increasing drug use.

They also serve as a bridge to drug treatment for an especially
hard-to-reach population. Drug users are not the only beneficiaries.

Look no further than the United States for tragic examples of
anti-drug strategies better avoided than followed. U.S. Centers for
Disease Control researchers estimate that 57 per cent of AIDS cases
among women and 36 per cent of overall AIDS cases in the U.S. are
linked to injection drug use or sex with partners who inject drugs.

This easily preventable public health crisis is a direct result of
zero-tolerance laws that restrict access to clean syringes. Can
Canada afford to emulate the harm maximization approach of the former
land of the free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated?

Robert Sharpe, MPA

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy