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Clement delays decision on safe injection site
Updated Fri. Sep. 1 2006 11:37 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Health Minister Tony Clement said he is delaying a decision on whether Vancouver's controversial safe injection site should remain open, as the Canadian Police Association took a strong stance against the program.
The safe injection site, called Insite, is the only one of its kind in Canada. Clement said he will delay his decision until Dec. 31, 2007, but during that time the program will continue operating.
"It's crap. It's pure politics," Insite supporter Dean Wilson told CTV Vancouver. "It doesn't give a message either way. He gets to play both sides of the fence."
Clement delivered the message late Friday in a press release.
"Do safe injection sites contribute to lowering drug use and fighting addiction? Right now the only thing the research to date has proven conclusively is drug addicts need more help to get off drugs," said Clement.
"Given the need for more facts, I am unable to approve the current request to extend the Vancouver site for another three and a half years."
Insite was set to close on Sept. 12, and is dependant on the Conservative government renewing an exemption under the country's drug laws.
Clement said that while the program's effectiveness is studied leading up to Dec. 31, 2007, he will push forward a new National Drug Strategy, to help reduce drugs and alcohol abuse.
"We believe the best form of harm reduction is to help addicts to break the cycle of dependency," said Clement. "We also need better education and prevention to ensure Canadians don't get addicted to drugs in the first place."
The Canadian Police Association said Friday that such a strategy would be more effective in fighting drug addiction.
Tony Cannavino, the association's president, told CP that Insite trivializes the use of illegal drugs.
The association's decision against Insite was given the unanimous support of about 200 regional police associations.
Margaret Somerville, of McGill University's Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law, told CP the issue of whether to keep Insite open should not be tainted by political ideology.
"In my view it would not be acceptable simply to say 'we don't agree with drug abuse,'" said Somerville.
"It can't be simply, 'We have a political platform and our platform is nobody is going to be helped in any way in terms of drug addiction behaviour or illness.' That would be wrong in my view."
Supporters of Insite argue it saves lives by offering medical help to drug users who overdose. It also prevents the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases, by giving addicts clean needles to use.
Counselors are available to those who use Insite and want to seek help in battling their addictions problems.
The British Columbia government funds insite, with additional money coming from the federal government for research.
Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan strongly backs the safe injection site.
"(It) will ensure that Vancouver continues to pioneer new ways of getting the crime rate down, including panhandling, street prostitution, break-and-enters, car thefts -- all of this is related to drug addiction," said Sullivan.
With a report by CTV Vancouver's Michelle Simick and files from The Canadian Press
Updated Fri. Sep. 1 2006 11:37 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Health Minister Tony Clement said he is delaying a decision on whether Vancouver's controversial safe injection site should remain open, as the Canadian Police Association took a strong stance against the program.
The safe injection site, called Insite, is the only one of its kind in Canada. Clement said he will delay his decision until Dec. 31, 2007, but during that time the program will continue operating.
"It's crap. It's pure politics," Insite supporter Dean Wilson told CTV Vancouver. "It doesn't give a message either way. He gets to play both sides of the fence."
Clement delivered the message late Friday in a press release.
"Do safe injection sites contribute to lowering drug use and fighting addiction? Right now the only thing the research to date has proven conclusively is drug addicts need more help to get off drugs," said Clement.
"Given the need for more facts, I am unable to approve the current request to extend the Vancouver site for another three and a half years."
Insite was set to close on Sept. 12, and is dependant on the Conservative government renewing an exemption under the country's drug laws.
Clement said that while the program's effectiveness is studied leading up to Dec. 31, 2007, he will push forward a new National Drug Strategy, to help reduce drugs and alcohol abuse.
"We believe the best form of harm reduction is to help addicts to break the cycle of dependency," said Clement. "We also need better education and prevention to ensure Canadians don't get addicted to drugs in the first place."
The Canadian Police Association said Friday that such a strategy would be more effective in fighting drug addiction.
Tony Cannavino, the association's president, told CP that Insite trivializes the use of illegal drugs.
The association's decision against Insite was given the unanimous support of about 200 regional police associations.
Margaret Somerville, of McGill University's Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law, told CP the issue of whether to keep Insite open should not be tainted by political ideology.
"In my view it would not be acceptable simply to say 'we don't agree with drug abuse,'" said Somerville.
"It can't be simply, 'We have a political platform and our platform is nobody is going to be helped in any way in terms of drug addiction behaviour or illness.' That would be wrong in my view."
Supporters of Insite argue it saves lives by offering medical help to drug users who overdose. It also prevents the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases, by giving addicts clean needles to use.
Counselors are available to those who use Insite and want to seek help in battling their addictions problems.
The British Columbia government funds insite, with additional money coming from the federal government for research.
Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan strongly backs the safe injection site.
"(It) will ensure that Vancouver continues to pioneer new ways of getting the crime rate down, including panhandling, street prostitution, break-and-enters, car thefts -- all of this is related to drug addiction," said Sullivan.
With a report by CTV Vancouver's Michelle Simick and files from The Canadian Press
I'm left wondering why there would be such wide spread opposition to such a program among police associations, and am wondering why they feel such a need to intrude on public policy?
Incidentally, Clement is a dumb ass. He is asking the wrong questions. Hellooooo, it's called harm reduction, not addiction avoidance.
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