SAFE-INJECTION REPORT ALLAYS CRITICS' FEARS

Supporters of bringing a supervised injection site to downtown
Victoria received a shot in the arm last week from the release of a
report praising a supervised injection site pilot project in Vancouver.

"I think this is just the tip of the good news iceberg," said Richard
Stanwick, chief medical health officer for the Vancouver Island Health
Authority.

"There was a concern that the initial good results worldwide could be
successful in a North American setting. But I believe that concern has
been put to rest by the report and (the facility's) success."

While data are still being gathered on the Vancouver site's success in
getting intravenous drug addicts into treatment - two to four users a
day were referred to treatment - the report offered strong evidence
the facility, called Insite, saved lives in its first six months of
existence.

From March 30 to Aug. 31, 2004, there were an average of 588
injections a day, but only 172 overdoses and no deaths.

"People are getting help immediately rather than far away from where
their overdose occurs," Stanwick said. "And obviously people are
accessing the service."

The report also says Insite has been able to "facilitate" health care
for a client population that "may not traditionally be able to access
these services," including 262 referrals to addiction counselling and
78 referrals to withdrawal programs such as detox.

For AIDS Vancouver Island executive director Miki Hansen, the success
of Vancouver's pilot project is a ray of hope in the uphill battle to
keep Victoria's population of IV drug users healthy.

"It is our hope that we stop having people die," she said. "That
safe-injection sites help with that has been well-demonstrated."

A random survey of business near the Vancouver facility found 46 per
cent in favour, 34 per cent against and 20 per cent undecided.
Stanwick said the results of the survey should take some of the raw
emotion out of the debate and add an element of rationality.

"There were people who worried (Insite) would make a bad situation
worse, but that hasn't happened," he said. "There will still be a lot
of emotion and passion in the debate, but at least we'll have a
baseline of evidence to work from."

Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe, who has voiced support for a supervised
injection site here, said the success of Insite puts the onus on the
shoulders of the federal and provincial governments to fund a site in
Victoria.

"Obviously our council has been very positive on a safe injection
site. Now we need to work with the two levels of government to see if
we could be a first project for a smaller city," Lowe said.

"We don't know where the federal government is on this. For a safe
injection site they would have to allow us to contravene a section of
the Canada Health Act."

Stanwick pointed out that chief provincial health officer Dr. Perry
Kendall has spoken in favour of setting up a supervised injection site
in Victoria.

Such a facility would be much smaller than Vancouver's, less expensive
to run and able to serve most of the IV drug population at one
location, he said.