Pubdate: Thu, 06 Jun 2013
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2013 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact:  http://torontosun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Author: Kristy Kirkup
Page: 28

DRUG SITE CLEANUP

OTTAWA - The government will roll out legislation Thursday which would
significantly raise the bar for groups wanting to set up injection
sites where illegal drugs can be used with medical oversight, clean
equipment and without legal consequence.

The bill, according to a Conservative source, will call for 20
additional criteria from groups hoping to get an exemption under the
Controlled Drugs and Substances Act required to set up a site.

When passed under the Conservative majority in the Commons, the bill
will make the application process significantly more cumbersome.

A "Section 56 exemption" must be granted from Canada's health minister
before groups can get the green light to open injection sites - a
requirement handed down by the Supreme Court of Canada in a landmark,
unanimous 2011 decision.

The court ruled failing to allow Vancouver's Insite facility to
operate would violate the charter.

It also ordered Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq to grand a special
exemption for Insite, despite longstanding opposition from the
Conservative government.

"The minister must exercise that discretion within the constraints
imposed by the law and the charter, aiming to strike the appropriate
balance between achieving public health and public safety," the ruling
stated. "The minister must consider whether denying an exemption would
cause deprivations of life and security of the person."

NDP health critic Libby Davies said Wednesday Insite is an "important
program" that "has saved people's' lives."

"It's much better for people to be in a medically supervised facility
when they're injecting and not dying from needless and preventable
overdoses," she said.
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MAP posted-by: Matt