IT COULD BE WORSE

Safe injection sites have been shown to 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 which are best avoided.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control researchers estimate 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

Washington