VANCOUVER POLLED ON HEROIN CLINIC

VANCOUVER -- First it was safe injection sites.

Now it's free heroin.

Residents of Vancouver's drug-infested Downtown Eastside have until Oct. 24
to tell City Hall how they feel about a rezoning application for a new
clinic in their neighbourhood.

The facility would hand out free heroin to addicts as part of a national
experiment to find out whether making the drug available through
prescription improves the health of injection-drug users, reduces
homelessness and cuts crime. Residents have been told that addicts would
come to the high-security clinic up to three times a day, seven days a
week, for heroin prescribed by a physician. They would use the drug under
supervision at the clinic.

The researchers plan on providing heroin to 88 addicts and methadone to 70.
After 12 months, the researchers intend to shift the addicts to methadone
or abstinence.

The researchers do not have official Health Canada approval yet to open the
heroin clinic. The survey of community opinion marks one of the final
stages in a lengthy two-year process to obtain the green light.

Many residents, community groups and businesses welcome the clinic in the
neighbourhood, James Kennedy, chairman of the Strathcona Business
Improvement Association, said yesterday in an interview. But they don't
like the site selected on Hastings Street.

"Nobody is complaining about the nature of this project," he said. The
community anticipates a heroin clinic would "take the criminal activities
out of the equation" and lead to a drop in property crimes in their
neighbourhood.

The community also supports the clinic on humanitarian grounds, Mr. Kennedy
said: Prescribing heroin will bring addicts into contact with professionals
who can help them improve their health and find decent housing.

However, some people are concerned about locating the proposed clinic
across the street from a daycare centre and down the street from an
elementary school.

A safe injection site for heroin and cocaine users was opened last month on
the same street, but seven blocks down the road.

The addicts are not provided with drugs at that site but are provided with
clean equipment and a safe environment to use drugs.

"Why cannot these two places be together?" Mr. Kennedy asked.

Kathy Sayers, a spokeswoman for the group that applied for the rezoning,
said yesterday the researchers would not comment on the project until they
have cleared all regulatory hurdles. Besides finding a site, the group
still has to receive licences to import the drug.