FREE CRACK PIPES?

Edmonton's medical officer of health says he is "not opposed" to a
controversial scheme which supplies free crack pipes to cocaine addicts.

The project is being piloted through needle exchange programs in Ontario
and B.C. with the aim of reducing the transmission of hepatitis C,
tuberculosis and HIV among drug users.

Capital Health's Dr. Gerry Predy says he would want to discuss the idea
with the city's Streetworks program if there were any moves to bring it to
Edmonton.

But Dr. Stan Houston, who is on the governing council of the Streetworks
needle exchange program, says funding would likely be an issue. "The
concept is a harm reduction model which is consistent with what Streetworks
is all about. But most of our Streetworks council meetings are devoted to
how we can get money for the program to survive at all, much less taking on
initiatives that are new."

Edmonton Mayor Bill Smith, who has previously backed the idea of safe
injection sites, said he is not supportive of the idea of giving out crack
pipes to addicts.

"I will keep an open mind on it but my first reaction is that I'm not in
favour," he said.

Toronto's Safer Crack Use Coalition, an alliance of agencies, activists,
front-line workers and crack users, has handed out thousands of packages
containing non-toxic glass crack pipes for "safer crack use." They believe
burns and cuts from shared crack pipes addicts make out of aluminium cans,
plastic bottles and inhalers are a prime route for the transmission of
hepatitis C and HIV.

A similar scheme is also being pioneered in rural B.C., through a
government-funded needle exchange program.