SHOOTING UP THE WORKS

re No place to shoot (now, march 27-April 2).

Safe injection sites have been proven 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.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control researchers estimate that 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 Toronto
afford to emulate the harm maximization drug policies of the former land of
the free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated?

Robert Sharpe, Drug Policy Alliance

Washington, DC