Pubdate: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 Source: Regina Leader-Post (CN SN) Copyright: 2009 The Leader-Post Ltd. Contact: http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/361 Author: Brayden Willenborg, Special to The Leader-Post Cited: http://www.vch.ca/sis SAFE INJECTION SITES WORK A walk through Regina's North Central area may offer some unpleasant sights. Drug users seem to flock to the area, committing crimes, and leaving their syringes to litter the neighbourhood, including the playgrounds where children play. Regina's response can be described as minimal at best. These drug users often share needles, spreading infections, or they overdose, requiring a quick trip to the emergency room and sometimes ending in death. The only actions the city has taken is increased police surveillance to deter crime and cleaning crews to pick up the syringes. This is not enough. It is in these times when we should look towards other cities and what they have done about this growing issue. Vancouver is famous for the beautiful Pacific Ocean, the majestic Rocky Mountains, and for delicious Asian cuisine; it is a fantastic candidate for hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics. However, Vancouver is equally known for back-alley drug dealers, park bench crack addicts and the street corner prostitutes. How does Vancouver battle its drug problem? The answer to this question is full of controversy. It has resulted in clapped hands and raised fists since the day it was opened. The answer is Insite. Insite is an organization set up on Downtown Vancouver's East Side. It is Canada's first legal supervised injection site. It was designed as an accessible facility where drug users can go to inject drugs safely, sleep in a warm room, receive counselling, and attend rehab programs. It consists of many brightly lit injection stations equipped with spacious counter tops, sinks, large mirrors, and all the necessary materials, minus the drugs themselves. Hearing this, people have questions like: How will this solve the drug use problem? How much money will this cost the taxpayers? Will this encourage drug use? And is this the best solution to our problem? Having a set location where drug users can go will help keep them off the streets. Insite provides needles to discourage sharing, instructs drug users on injecting safely, offers counselling and rehab programs, and provides drug users with much-needed shelter, all for no cost. It lessens the spread of infection, reduces the risk of overdosing, and encourages drug users to quit their addictions. All of this keeps stress off our already crowded hospitals and saves us millions of dollars in medical expenses. Insite helps clean the streets, keeps everybody safe, and discourages drug use, all while saving us money. What's not to like? Vancouver has seen what Insite can do and is reaping the benefits. Can Regina learn from its success? A supervised injection site is exactly what this city needs. It has the power to change Regina's core area. The need is there and the benefits are waiting. We can keep doing what we know isn't working, or we can try something new that has results to back it up. What will you decide? If you want to learn more about Insite and the impact it is having in Vancouver's Downtown East Side, you can visit www.vch.ca/sis There you will find general information, the answers to common questions, and the research that has been done on these supervised injection sites. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D