Pubdate: Tue, 13 Dec 2016
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2016 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wEtbT4yU
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Kristy Kirkup
Page: A6

FEDS EASE SUPERVISED INJECTION SITE RULES

The federal government is adopting a public-health approach to its
drug control strategy, Health Minister Jane Philpott said Monday as
she unveiled proposed new measures that would open the door to more
supervised injection sites in Canada.

Newly tabled legislation would, if passed, eliminate 26 strict
requirements for new "consumption" sites put in place by the previous
Conservative government, all within parameters set out by the Supreme
Court, Philpott said.

"We need to take swift action on the opioid crisis to save lives," she
told reporters, describing the current fentanyl crisis as national in
scope. "We must confront the fact there will be no quick reversal of
the current situation."

Currently, applicants for new injection sites must provide medical and
scientific evidence of benefit, along with stakeholder letters from
provincial health ministers, local police and regional health
officials - stringent criteria that advocates say made it all but
impossible to establish new sites.

A number of applications for sites are under review, and the
government intends to provide updates to make it clear in those cases
what needs to be done to win approval, Philpott said.

"The circumstances of every community will be different," she said.
"That's why it's important that communities work together in their
locations to be able to address their unique circumstances."

In places like downtown Vancouver, on the front line of the fentanyl
problem, people are dying every day, she added.

"The evidence is very clear that when they are well established and
well maintained in communities that want and need the, supervised
consumption sites save lives and do not have a negative impact on
crime rates in the community," she said.

There are currently two drug injection sites in Canada - both in
Vancouver.

Meanwhile, the new legislation would, if passed, lift a restriction
that prevents border guards from inspecting packages that are under 30
grams in weight - even if they have reason to believe the packages
contain illegal drugs. It would also place new restrictions on the
import of pill presses and encapsulators, both commonly used in the
production of illicit drugs.

NDP justice critic Murray Rankin, who represents Victoria, said he's
pleased to see the new changes - but disappointed it has taken more
than a year since the Liberals took power for them to come to the fore.

"Listen, I had - in one week - five people in the city of Victoria
die," Rankin said.

"This government taking these steps now is appreciated ... but it is
hardly adequate and in the time it is going to take to debate these
changes ... dozens of people are going to die."

In British Columbia alone, officials say there have been 622 drug
overdose deaths between January and October, about 60 per cent of them
involve fentanyl.
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