A Health Unit outreach worker said a needle recovery program is working well on the city’s south side.
Rick Thompson, of the Superior Points Harm Reduction Program, said the 22,600 needles collected from bins since January of last year is proof of that. In April 2008, the city installed four needle disposal bins throughout the south downtown core.
From April to December of that year, 3,900 needles were placed in the bins. Thompson said the large increase in disposed needles from 2008 to 2009 does not mean an increase in local drug users, but more awareness about the bins.
"We haven’t seen an overall significant increase in the amount of needles we’re distributing so I’m assuming that it’s actually that people are finding them now and they’re actually starting to use them," Thompson said.
Thompson said Superior Points distributes 50,000 needles a month throughout the city. More than 90 per cent of those needles are given back to outreach workers. The disposal bins, part of the city’s Safe Street recovery program, were meant to collect the remainder of the needles that were ending up on city streets.
Another reason for the increase can be attributed to a change in the types of drugs being used or how people are choosing to do their drugs. Thompson said users often choose needles because it is more cost effective.
"Injection drug use is a financial decision. People who can’t afford to do their drugs of choice the way they want to do them will go to injection just because they get more bang for their buck," Thompson said.
He added that Thunder Bay has a relatively small user population compared to other cites. For cities that have a similar number of drug users as Thunder Bay, Thompson said the amount of needles distributed by Superior Points is comparable.
With another bin already installed at another south side location and three more planned for the North side’s downtown, Thompson says he believes the program is successful.
By getting needles off of city streets, the Safe Street bins, coupled with Superior Points distribution program, is helping to make a safer community for everyone.
"Overall we’ve become an intricate part of a lot of injection drug users lives and I think that’s a success," said Thompson.
