The mayor thinks it might be time for the city to look at becoming North America’s second city with safe injection sites.
The Superior Points Harm Reduction program hands out about 63,000 needles a month. Outreach worker Rick Thompson said a majority of drug users in the city are responsible and more than 90 per cent of those needles are returned.
But some of those unreturned needles can become litter and that has many citizens vocalizing their concerns. And Mayor Keith Hobbs said he’s heard many of those complaints.
“If you’re talking about safety there’s nothing worse than stepping on a dirty needle. That could have horrible ramifications for our citizens,” Hobbs said.
Studies have shown that the only safe injection site in North America, located in Vancouver, reduces the amount of discarded needles. But it also reduces the risk of overdose and gives users better access to addiction, mental health and health services.
“We have a huge problem probably proportionate or worse than Vancouver per capita,” Hobbs said. “Maybe we need to be the second city in North America that has safe injection sites.”
“The data is pretty conclusive at this point that they are effective and a positive thing to do in a community,” Thompson said.
While the feasibility of a safe injection site is in the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy, it’s not currently a priority. Hobbs said he wants to see the idea move to the forefront.
“It’s a blight on our community,” Hobbs said.
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Thompson said that would require funding, community support and a location that was but discrete and accessible. As for whether the site would be used, Thompson said he’s had heard a lot of positive comments about the idea from users but it would need to be assessed as well.
As for the amount of needles and how many users it that represents, Thompson said it’s hard to say.
“It’s not unusual for a person if they’re injecting something like cocaine they can use 20 needles a day,” he said.
Anyone who finds a discarded needle can contact points http://www.tbdhu.com/SexualHealth/needleexchange/default.htm and it will be picked up.
Thompson said the risk of contracting something from a publicly discarded needle is low.
“At the same time we prefer that we handle it,” he said.
