SAFE INJECTION SITE THROWN A LIFELINE

VANCOUVER -The federal government said yesterday it will allow North
America's only sanctioned injection site for drug addicts to remain
open until mid-2008 to allow more research on its impact.

Vancouver's Insite facility had faced closure at the end of the year,
but Health Minister Tony Clement notified the local health authority
that the injection site can stay open until June 30, 2008.

The facility, which opened in 2003 as part of a research project in
the Downtown Eastside, needs an exemption from Canada's drug laws to
remain in operation.

The federal government has been weighing Insite's long-term future,
and the six-month extension will allow continued research on its
impact on efforts to promote drug treatment programs and reduce
crime, Mr. Clement said.

Addicts using such drugs as heroin and cocaine are given clean
needles in a room supervised by a nurse. After shooting up, they go
to a "chill-out room" before being sent back to the street.