OVERDOSES ARE UP, DESPITE SO-CALLED 'SAFE INJECTIONS'

The received wisdom on "safe injection sites" continues to be parroted by
the city media, in defiance of the facts.

This week the Orwellian "good news" continued on this subject.

The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority public relations department issued
more figures on the "success" of their its downtown eastside shoot-up site.

So many junkies put their welfare cheques into their arms as soon as they
get them that keeping the shoot-up site open 24 hours a day after "welfare
Wednesday" is going to continue.

CKNW radio was quick to report this "success" story.

Last week there was another news release on the subject that seems to have
been largely ignored.

Conservative MP Randy White of Abbotsford reported that in spite of the
opening of two injection sites in Vancouver, the number of overdose deaths
in B.C. has gone up.

The B.C. Coroners Office finds there have been 44 deaths due to overdose so
far this year, three more than last year's provincial total, with a month
still to go.

White notes that Vancouver's main injection site has operated for a year,
with $1.4 million in government support and a staff of 15.

Its stated purpose is "harm reduction", which is supposed to include
preventing overdoses.

It is evidently failing to do this, despite the many junkies using its
comfortable confines to inject their street drugs.

The injection site's other goal is to steer addicts toward treatment.

White notes that by the site's own figures, only 6.3 per cent of addicts
using the facility have being referred for treatment, and only 1 per cent
have been sent to detox.

The health region spokesman replied to White's conclusions without
acknowledging them.

The health region bureaucracy doesn't know why the overdose deaths are up,
but insists it is not related to the injection site.

The spokesman, while admitting he had no evidence, speculated that it's
because of stronger drugs on the street.

CKNW parroted that too.