SAFE SHOOTING

Despite education initiatives, needle exchange programs and methadone
treatment, the rate of hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS among intravenous drug
users in Canada remains "a serious public health crisis," according to the
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. In a report released in Ottawa today, the
Montreal-based organization called for beginning trials of supervised
injection sites in Canadian cities today, citing the success of European
and Australian projects.

The 60-page report, Establishing Safe Injection Facilities in Canada: Legal
and Ethical Issues, has three main points: first, hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS
rates are skyrocketing among IV drug users; second, the government needs to
act quickly on this; and third, supervised injection sites in other cities
have yielded benefits.

"Canadian law says we can put the regulatory framework in place easily,"
says Ralf Jurgens, the Network's executive director. "It's morally and
ethically clear. Supervised injection sites are a natural extension of the
needle exchange program."

While it may be a moral imperative for some, Jurgens admits that some
groups are wary of the type of clients these people attract. "The
[Vancouver Chinatown merchants] were opposed to the project because they
think a honey pot will be created, and that addicts will be attracted to
areas with a safe injection location," Jurgens says. "In fact, these sites
reduce the public nuisance drug users create, such as discarded needles.
But the evidence from other cities shows that businesses very quickly come
on side, and that they' re beneficial for the public, not just users."