Pubdate: Fri, 14 Feb 2014
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2014 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Wendy Stueck

DR. PETER CENTRE APPLIES FOR INJECTION SITE PERMIT

The Dr. Peter Centre in Vancouver has applied for an exemption to
federal drug laws that would allow it to offer supervised injection
services to its clients - something it has been doing since 2002
without the paperwork.

If the centre is granted an exemption under Canada's controlled Drugs
and Substances Act, it would become the second such legally sanctioned
facility in Vancouver, following the Insite clinic in the city's
Downtown Eastside.

The Dr. Peter Centre, which provides care to people living with HIV,
including many who are poor and homeless, started the service after
the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia concluded 12
years ago it was within the scope of nursing practice to supervise
injections for the purposes of preventing illness and improving health.

But a groundbreaking 2011 Supreme Court of Canada decision related to
Insite cleared the way for the Dr. Peter Centre to formalize the
practice - with full backing from provincial and city
governments.

"The Dr. Peter Centre provides a variety of effective care and
treatment services for those living with HIV/AIDS, including access to
supervised injections," B.C. Minister of Health Terry Lake said
Thursday in a statement. "Our government is committed to providing the
best evidence-based support and care for British Columbians with
substance-use problems and addictions and we support Vancouver Coastal
Health and the Dr. Peter Centre in their application."

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson also endorsed the application, saying
in a statement that supervised injection services at the Dr. Peter
Centre and Insite "have become an indispensable public health resource
in our community."

The application was submitted by the Dr. Peter Aids Foundation and
Vancouver Coastal Health, the regional health authority that funds and
oversees the centre.

The exemption would be similar to one obtained by Insite, whose
supporters went to court to maintain an exemption that was first
granted in 2003 for a three-year term.

Throughout that court battle, which lasted years and wound up in the
Supreme Court of Canada, the federal government fought against
maintaining the exemption for Insite on grounds that included federal
control over health care.

In 2011, however, the Supreme Court of Canada ordered the federal
government to grant the exemption and allow Insite to keep operating,
saying that to do otherwise would infringe on clients' rights under
the Charter of Rights. The Supreme Court found that Insite provided
health benefits with no discernible harm to the community.

The decision was widely seen as opening the door to other legally
sanctioned, supervised injection sites in Canada. Four supervised
injection sites, including a mobile clinic, are expected to open this
year in Montreal.

Harm-reduction programs remain controversial. Earlier this month,
Steven Blaney, Canada's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency
Preparedness, criticized a program that provides crack pipes through
vending machines in the Downtown Eastside. The machines - which
complement free crack pipes distributed by Vancouver Coastal Health -
are an attempt to steer users away from makeshift pipes, which can
splinter and increase the risk of diseases such as HIV.

In a statement, Mr. Blaney said the federal government supports
"treatment that ends drug use, including limiting access to drug
paraphernalia by young people."

The centre did not say when it expects a decision on its application.
Health Canada is reviewing the application and will "take the time
needed for a thorough review," a spokesman said Thursday in an e-mail.
Ottawa has also introduced new legislation "that would give local law
enforcement, municipal leaders and local residents a voice before a
permit is granted for a supervised drug consumption site," the
spokesman said.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D