DRUG-USE HAVEN RECEIVES SUPPORT

Smith Likes Idea, Others Not Sure

Winnipeg could become one of a handful of Canadian cities that provides a
safe place for heroin and cocaine addicts to shoot up, say some city
councillors.

"If it effectively deals with a serious problem, then we should seriously
consider it. I would be supportive," Coun. Harvey Smith (Daniel McIntyre)
said yesterday.

Health Canada officials announced last week it will soon begin accepting
proposals from cities around the country interested in opening safe
injection sites. The first federally approved site, likely in Toronto or
Vancouver, could open its doors sometime in 2003.

Shared Needles Decreased

Some people addicted to illicit drugs, such as heroin or cocaine, use a
needle to inject the substance into their body to achieve a high. Many of
those addicts share needles, leading to the spread of blood-borne
afflictions, including hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS.

In countries such as Germany and Switzerland, safe injection sites -- where
medical professionals monitor drug addicts as they shoot up -- have
decreased the number of people sharing needles and lowered the incidences
of disease.

In Winnipeg, Street Connections has provided free needles to addicts for
years to cut down on the practice of sharing.

Providing a controlled environment for those addicts is another way to help
those most in need, said John Stinson, transitional executive director of
Nine Circles Community Health Centre, a collective of four community-based
AIDS groups and a medical clinic on Broadway.

"This isn't something that is going to solve all our problems with
intravenous drug use -- it's related to poverty, access to health care,
education," he said. "This will help reduce the risk."

Coun. Gord Steeves (St. Vital) said he'd like to learn more about the
number of addicts in Winnipeg and the success rates of other cities that
have opened injection sites.

"There's obviously homework that needs to be done," he said.

But deputy mayor Lillian Thomas said she's concerned about the use of the
word "safe" to describe drug addiction. She also wants to find out more
details about how such a plan would work.

"The real problem is the people who are strung out on drugs," said Thomas.
"We have scarce resources and I want to make sure that they're effective
for the problem."

Stinson said simply starting a dialogue on the subject is an important
first step toward seeing the idea become a reality.

"If we can get to a place where our community is prepared to even have a
discussion, I think that's great," he said. "It's a complex problem."