Pubdate: Tue, 02 Jul 2013
Source: Chilliwack Progress (CN BC)
Copyright: 2013 The Chilliwack Progress
Contact: http://www.theprogress.com/contact_us/
Website: http://www.theprogress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/562
Author: Margaret Evans

'HARM REDUCTION' IS STARTING TO PAY DIVIDENDS

Despite the stereotypical image of drug addicts shooting up in 
Vancouver's grubby back alleys, there's good news that overall 
illicit drug use is declining. And it has nothing to do with drug law 
enforcement, the "war on drugs", or the federal government's National 
Anti-Drug Strategy.

This encouraging trend is all about the expanding harm reduction programs.

Last month, the Urban Health Research Initiative of the British 
Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS released its report Drug 
Situation in Vancouver which detailed information on drug use, drug 
availability, HIV rates, and behaviours among the city's most 
vulnerable drug addicts.

The study looked at trends over the last 15 years. Overall, there has 
been a decline in illicit drug use with a dramatic drop in cocaine 
injection from 38.1 per cent in 1996 to 6.9 per cent in 2011. Daily 
heroine injection has also declined. On the down side, there was an 
increase in the use of other drugs such as crack cocaine smoking, 
injection and non-injection crystal meth use, and prescription opioid 
injection. The use of these drugs peaked in 2007 but since then the 
use of all drugs mentioned has declined although the habit of crystal 
meth injection remains high.

The good news about the overall downward trend is that addiction 
treatments and harm reduction programs are clearly connecting and 
having a critical impact. Methadone maintenance therapy went up from 
11.7 per cent in 1996 to 53.3 per cent in 2011 with the concentrated 
trend in MMT occurring from 2008 to 2011, mainly because drug users 
were finding it easier to access treatment.

In addition, the report stated that "The dramatic decline in syringe 
sharing among people who use illicit drugs in Vancouver can be 
largely attributed to the expansion of harm reduction programs in the 
city with 39.6 per cent of people reporting syringe borrowing in 1996 
but only 1.7 per cent reporting syringe borrowing in 2011."

Along with that decrease has been a corresponding decrease in both 
HIV and HCV incidence rates with obvious public health benefits.

"Drug trends in Vancouver are shifting, with fewer people injecting 
drugs and more people ceasing their use, a result of the innovative 
harm reduction and addiction treatment programs implemented," said 
Dr. Thomas Kerr, report co-author and UHRI co-director. "It is 
important policymakers at all levels of government take note of this 
evidence and focus efforts on approaches proven to be more effective. 
Continuing to invest in failed policies like the war on drugs does 
little to reduce health and social harms."

Those federal war-on-drugs policies have had minimal effect on 
readily available cheap drugs. From science research findings to the 
opinions of drug users on the street, harm reduction programs are 
what get things done. Insite, Vancouver's safe injection site, is 
testimony to that. "Needle exchanges and the supervised injection 
facility have proven to save lives, but drug use trends are changing 
and policies and programs should reflect these changes," said Lorna 
Bird, a drug user and member of the Western Aboriginal Harm Reduction 
Society. "We need more harm reduction interventions, like safer crack 
smoking kits, supervised consumption facilities for people who smoke 
illicit drugs, and programs focused on at-risk youth."

The harm reduction facility, Insite, is not just a place for safe 
needle use. It is a gateway for addicts to get medical help and 
counselling to change their lives. Many Canadian cities need an 
Insite of their own yet the Harper government's "Respect for 
Communities Act" will contain criteria making it very hard for other 
cities to launch similar programs. How counter-productive is that?

Policymakers must accept that harm reduction programs work and 
provide the framework to make them happen across Canada.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom