Pubdate: Sat, 16 Jul 2016
Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 The Toronto Star
Contact:  http://www.thestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n481/a01.html
Author: Myra Fahim
Page: A10

INJECTION SITE VOTE A SMALL VICTORY

Re Council supports three safe injection sites, July 14

Toronto city council's overwhelming vote to move forward with three
supervised injection sites across the city is a small victory, a
modern-day step in a necessary direction toward safe and
evidence-based harm reduction strategies. The next essential step is
to receive federal support to offer services at these sites with
trained medical staff.

While the city has seemed to come together in support of this issue,
it is only one small step. Toronto continues to see an increase in
deaths related to drug overdoses and without federal support of
exemptions at these sites, citizens will continue to feel that this is
an area not worth advocating for, despite the overwhelming evidence
proving the effectiveness of supervised injection sites in reducing
death, disease and costs to our healthcare system, all clear facts
that cannot be denied.

That leaves us with those who oppose based on moral grounds. These
individuals who fear the presence of the injection sites in their
neighbourhoods will compromise their safety do so out of a lack of
understanding of the broader social issues the city faces. They fail
to recognize the vulnerability of those using substances, fighting the
strong grip of addiction.

By bringing those who use intravenous drugs into a safe and clean
environment to receive their substances, we are giving them an
alternative to hiding the behaviours in dangerous and unsanitary
conditions in which diseases and other conditions can be easily spread.

Supervised injection sites do not just provide those who use
substances with a secure haven to inject safely, they also provide
health-care practitioners with an opportunity to intervene, should the
individual be interested in engaging in treatment. By attempting to
better support those who are vulnerable in our society, starting at
least with injection sites, we can start to advocate alongside these
individuals, leading them on a path to healthy and successful lives.
An opportunity that many of our vulnerable and marginalized
populations do not often receive.

Myra Fahim, Mississauga
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MAP posted-by: Matt