Pubdate: Fri, 04 Mar 2016
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2016 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Andrea Woo
Page: S3
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?142 (Supervised Injection Sites)

INSITE SEES RISE IN INTEREST IN WAKE OF OVERDOSES

As North America grapples with an epidemic of fatal drug overdoses, 
cities pushing for supervised consumption sites are turning to 
Vancouver's Insite for guidance on how to proceed.

In the past few months, officials from at least six or seven North 
American cities have visited Insite wanting to learn more. But while 
the facility often accommodates tours for a range of people - 
including law enforcement, academics and health officials - those 
recent visits have taken on a more pragmatic tone, said Andrew Day, 
operations director for Vancouver Coastal Health ( VCH).

"Recently, we're seeing a huge surge in the amount of interest from 
people wanting to do tours from all sorts of agencies, especially 
physicians and public health from other jurisdictions," Mr. Day said.

He attributed the increase in interest to fatal overdose rates in 
Canada and the United States and Canada's recent change in government.

"In the federal government, we've seen an increase in support for the 
site, and it's kind of legitimized the work that we do, in many 
ways," Mr. Day said.

He declined to name the cities expressing interest. However, 
grassroots groups in Seattle and a mayor in upstate New York have 
recently called for supervised injection sites.

In Seattle, the Voices of Community Activists and Leaders ( VOCAL- 
WA) will host Liz Evans and Mark Townsend, founders of the Portland 
Hotel Society ( PHS), for community forums on supervised injection 
later this month.

The PHS Community Services Society operates Insite, North America's 
first sanctioned freestanding supervised injection site, in 
partnership with VCH. Ms. Evans and Mr. Townsend resigned from their 
positions amid provincial pressure in 2014, but continue to advocate 
for the harm-reduction service they helped make a reality in British Columbia.

Patricia Sully, a lawyer with Seattle's Public Defender Association 
and a co-ordinator of VOCAL- WA, said the couple will share the story 
of Insite and discuss what kind of a model might work for Seattle.

"One of the things we've thought very intentionally about is the fact 
that every city is different, every population is a little bit 
different, and we can't just copy and paste models," Ms. Sully said. 
"We really have to take what works and apply it in a way that makes 
sense for our city."

King County Sheriff John Urquhart said he is looking forward to attending.

"I've got to wrap my head around this," he said. "That being said, as 
a former narcotics officer, the war on drugs hasn't worked. We have 
to try something different, and therefore I am open to trying 
something different. I am not saying that I support this, at least 
not yet, but I want to hear more about it. I am very interested to 
talk to the Insite people. I'd love to talk to Vancouver police and 
at some point I intend to do that, to find out what the crime issues 
are - which is only one aspect of it."

The King County Sheriff's Office patrols primarily outside Seattle, 
but is the second-largest police agency in Washington State.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray's office did not respond to calls for comment 
on Thursday. On Tuesday, the mayor announced a task force to confront 
heroin and opioid prescription addiction.

VOCAL- WA is also planning to send a delegation to Vancouver in late spring.

Svante Myrick, the mayor of Ithaca, NY, has also called for 
supervised injection sites to address drug addiction in his city. A 
report released last week that referenced supervised injection sites 
and heroin maintenance programs includes information from a Health 
Canada report on Insite.

In Victoria, a coalition calling for the service has also been in 
touch with Insite staff, seeking advice on how to prepare an 
application to Health Canada for the exemption from federal drug laws 
that is necessary to operate a consumption site.

Drug overdose deaths have climbed steadily in the United States, 
reaching a peak in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention.

Since opening in 2003, Insite has not recorded a single fatal overdose.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom