WHITE WANTS DRUG STRATEGY

Abbotsford MP Randy White has reaffirmed his call for a national drug
strategy following an announcement that the number of overdose-related
deaths in B.C. has increased in 2004.

According to White, preliminary figures issued by the British Columbia
Coroners Service reveal an increase in the number of people who have died
from drug overdoses in the past year.

A total of 44 people died from January to September of this year - compared
to 41 for the same period in 2003, White said.

A safe injection site - called INSITE - was opened in Vancouver last year,
but according to the Conservative MP, it has failed in its pledge to "help
reduce the deaths of drug addicts.

"I would seriously question the ability of injection sites to tackle the
drugs problem in this country," White said.

"Not only have they failed to curtail drug deaths, they have not placed the
focus of their resources on people getting off drugs, preferring to keep
them on drugs."

According to White, a recent study by INSITE - which is located on East
Hastings Street - reports that only 6.3 per cent of addicts using the
facility have been referred for treatment, while one per cent have been
sent to detox facilities.

"It's not enough to cover up the problem with so called 'harm reduction',"
White said.

"This is a clear indication that Canada needs a national drug strategy to
prevent this kind of tragedy, and safe injection sites are not the answer."

White's comments contradict the message sent out by the Vancouver Coastal
Health Authority.

Commenting in September on a report penned by the team responsible for
evaluating the three-year pilot project, the authority said the site was
"exceeding expectations" in terms of client volumes and satisfaction, and
referrals to addiction services and treatment.

"Based on what we see in the report, INSITE has saved lives and improved
lives," health authority president and CEO Ida Goodreau said.

According to the report, two to four clients each day are being referred to
addiction treatment facilities, with at least one per week being referred
to programs that provide methadone maintenance treatment .