Pubdate: Fri, 25 Sep 2009
Source: Comox Valley Record (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Comox Valley Record
Contact:  http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/784
Author: Lindsay Chung
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

CITY COUNCIL SUPPORTS CRACK KIT DISTRIBUTION

AIDS Vancouver Island hopes to distribute safe crack cocaine kits in 
the Comox Valley, and Courtenay council has thrown its support behind the idea.

Councillors unanimously voted to write to the Vancouver Island Health 
Authority (VIHA) supporting the expansion of AIDS Vancouver Island 
(AVI)'s harm reduction program to include the distribution of safer 
crack pipe kits Monday following a presentation about the initiative.

AVI has been offering harm reduction services in Courtenay for nine years.

"That program is mandated and funded through VIHA, and the goal is to 
prevent the spread of blood-borne pathogen diseases such as Hepatitis 
C and HIV," said counsellor advocate Sarah Sullivan.

Harm reduction is about a pragmatic response that keeps people safe 
and minimizes death, disease and injury associated with high-risk 
behaviour, explained Dr. Charmaine Enns, VIHA medical health officer.

"The research shows, and there's lots of it now, that harm reduction 
activities do not encourage substance use," she said.

Crack use causes injuries to the mucous membranes, lips and inside of 
the mouth, and those cuts, blisters and wounds increase the 
transmission of blood-borne infections, explained Enns.

"We do know we have higher rates of communicable diseases in our 
marginal populations, and they also share equipment if they can't get 
safe equipment," she said. "We do know harm reduction by supplying 
the safe, cheap mouthpieces and pushsticks will reduce the likelihood 
of shared communicable diseases."

Supplying safe crack pipe kits also gives health care workers an 
opportunity to engage people, explained Enns.

"It creates that link of people to the health care system, which that 
person wouldn't otherwise access," she said. "This is about real 
people with real issues in their life and increasing the opportunity 
to help as much as we can where they're at when they're ready for it."

Many people may remain addicted, but many also move out of addiction 
and using, noted Heidi Exner, the manager of health promotion and 
community development with AVI in Victoria.

"The only hope is to offer something in the interim that meets them 
where they're at and connects them to services that will help them 
move through it," she said.

Crack cocaine use is "very prevalent" in the Valley but also quite 
hidden, according to Sullivan.

Mayor Greg Phelps had been skeptical of the harm reduction program 
but is now onside after reading studies from Vancouver and Victoria 
about the costs of not dealing with harm reduction.

Crack use is a significant issue in the community and affects not 
only the drug users, but also their friends and family, noted Coun. 
Ronna-Rae Leonard.

"We're not supporting the illegal drug use; we're supporting their 
health," she said.

While Coun. Larry Jangula didn't have any problem with giving the 
crack pipe pieces to people, he felt it was "a Band-Aid on a severed arm."

"What I'd really like to see done more is to lobby the federal and 
provincial governments to put money into treatment," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom