The city’s drug strategy co-ordinator agrees with the findings of a recent report that suggests a softer approach to drug abuse is the more effective strategy.
The B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS released a report earlier this week called War on Drugs Failing to Limit Drug Use in Vancouver. The report, which compiled 15 years of data, concludes that Vancouver’s controversial safe injection site was more effective at reducing the number of people using injection drugs than a tough on crime agenda.
Cynthia Olsen, the city’s drug strategy co-ordinator, said tougher laws only push people further away from the system, and farther away from a solution.
“Being able to engage individuals with harm-reduction practices actually gives them a chance to maybe access a first point of service and be able to feel worthwhile,” she said.
The city has had a mobile needle exchange program since 1995. While it isn’t the same initiative as B.C.’s safe injection sites program, on average Superior Points distributes about 70,000 needles a month and close to 600,000 a year.
The program aims to prevent blood-borne diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis C, from spreading within the community.
Olsen said the idea of introducing a safe injection site has come up and the drug strategy is looking into doing a feasibility study.
But at the moment, she admits it isn’t a priority.
“I think there would be some opposition to a safe injection site but I think we would have some support in at least looking at it,” she said.
“I think the more we’re able to bring this issue out and talk about how harm reduction is more beneficial to individuals who are really struggling will perhaps help others understand the value behind it.”
At least one city councillor supports the idea of a safe injection site.
At-Large Coun. Rebecca Johnson said a safe injection site would do well with the work that’s already being laid out by the drug strategy.
“We’re looking at how do we help and prevent,” she said.
“If we can in fact get something like that it would be a big assistance. Look at the methadone clinics – they’re helping people who have substance abuse issues. I see (a safe injection site) as another step forward in solving some of the problems that we have in our community.”
Johnson said it’s a real benefit to have studies that show evidence that harm reduction policies work.
Although Johnson doesn’t believe the city has been holding back on getting a safe injection site, she said that in order to get one the city has to go through the proper steps.
“Thunder Bay for example isn’t really happy about the methadone clinics,” she said. “They don’t understand them to be quite honest. That’s the problem. They don’t understand the benefits of a methadone clinic. To go to the next step of having needles and all the rest of it, we need to educate the community. That all takes time.”
