Pubdate: Fri, 05 Jun 2009 Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Copyright: 2009 Times Colonist Contact: http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/letters.html Website: http://www.timescolonist.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481 Author: Bill Cleverley Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction) VICTORIA DELAYS CRACKPIPE DECISION Victoria council wants more information on harm-reduction initiatives before taking a stand on the distribution of free crackpipes in the city. Coun. Philippe Lucas had asked council to endorse the distribution of crackpipe kits to reduce the spread of hepatitis C, from which he suffers. If Victoria council supported the distribution, the Vancouver Island Health Authority would provide funding for the kits. But several of Lucas's council colleagues expressed concern yesterday about taking any one initiative in isolation -- potentially derailing other efforts, such as finding a fixed needle-exchange site. Instead, councillors resolved to meet with VIHA representatives within the month for a comprehensive analysis of harm-reduction issues. "What we need is some urgency to look at the whole picture," said Coun. Lynn Hunter. "If we hive one part off, saying this is the most urgent, then we're going to be more inclined to delay discussion on the larger issue." It's common for people who smoke crack cocaine to have sores, cuts and burns on their lips. Crackpipes are often makeshift -- fashioned from cans or glass tubes with sharp edges -- and shared among users. That means there's potential for infections such as HIV and hepatitis C to be shared as well, transmitted from blood on pipes through open cuts and sores. Advocates of crackpipe distribution argue the risk of the disease spreading can be minimized if pipes aren't shared. Coun. Sonya Chandler argued against waiting to make the decision, adding council can support the pipe distribution now and still address wider issues. "There's people out there smoking crack out of light bulbs, and they're injuring themselves and they're contracting hep C." Lucas, who contracted hepatitis C through tainted blood he received during a medical procedure in Ontario in 1982, hopes council will support crackpipe distribution after the meeting with VIHA officials. But Mayor Dean Fortin doubted anything would happen that quickly. "My expectation for the meeting isn't to come out with a decision like that right away. My understanding is for council to get a better understanding of what systems and models are out there, what exists and what VIHA is looking forward to doing," Fortin said Victoria's Cormorant Street needle exchange was forced to close a year ago in the wake of neighbours' complaints that users loitered outside the building, leaving behind dirty syringes, blood and human waste. For 12 months, intravenous drug users in Victoria have had to rely on the mobile needle exchange or picking up clean needles when they visit a clinic. Pressure for a more comprehensive needle-exchange system has ramped up as a group calling itself Harm Reduction Victoria opened an informal needle exchange near Our Place on Pandora Avenue. While the city endorses the concept of harm reduction, those efforts should work for all members of the community, including users, children, downtown residents and workers, Fortin said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom