Editorial: Time has come, sadly, for safe injection sites in the suburbs
published on July 26, 2016 in Tri-City News
There were 127 overdose deaths in the Fraser Health region in the first six months of this year, including 10 from fentanyl in nearby Maple Ridge.
There were 127 overdose deaths in the Fraser Health region in the first six months of this year, including 10 from fentanyl in nearby Maple Ridge.
In April, the BC government declared its first-ever public health emergency to deal with the sharply rising cases of opioid drug overdoses across the province.
Over the July 16 weekend, there were 36 overdoses in Surrey alone over two days. The weekend before that, five people ODed at a house party in Coquitlam, their lives possibly saved because a resident of the home returned late at night and called 911.
Now, Fraser Health is looking to add supervised injection sites in city centres.
There are two supervised injection sites in Vancouver. Insite became North America’s first legal clinic in 2003 and operates under Vancouver Coastal Health, which provides all funding and senior administrative and health-care workers.
An article by Julio Montaner and Thomas Kerr of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS said peer-reviewed studies have shown Insite saves lives and health-care money, reduces disease transmission, and promotes entry into addiction treatment. They said peer-reviewed studies done by researchers from Canada, Australia, Britain and the U.S. show Insite does not increase crime or perpetuate active drug use.
Under the federal Respect for Communities Act passed by the former Conservative government, proposed consumption sites seeking an exemption must be backed by extensive documentation, including support letters from the local municipality and police force. It should be repealed, as requested by health officials.
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