Pubdate: Thu, 22 Dec 2016
Source: Sudbury Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 Osprey Media
Contact: http://www.thesudburystar.com/letters
Website: http://www.thesudburystar.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/608
Author: Ben Leeson
Page: A3

REDUCING HARM KEY

Sudbury drug strategy applauds move by feds to make its easier to open
safe-injection sites

Officials with Sudbury's Community Drug Strategy have applauded a by
the federal government to make its easier to open safe injection
sites, though they aren't sure if such a facility is needed in Sudbury.

Health Minister Jane Philpott has announced the Liberal government
will adopt a public-health approach to its drug control strategy,
while 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.

Such action is needed, Philpott said, to save lives in the face of a
growing opioid crisis.

Ariella Zbar is associate medical officer of health at the Sudbury and
District Health Unit and a spokesperson for the Community Drug
Strategy, which includes representatives of the health unit and
Greater Sudbury Police, as well as other key professionals and
community leaders.

Zbar said the government's announcement signals a shift from
enforcement back to harm reduction.

"It doesn't necessarily take away drug use or risky behaviour, but it
makes it less harmful," she said. "Instead of using an unclean needle
in the street and hurriedly injecting oneself, leading to perhaps an
abscess or an overdose that would land you in the hospital or possibly
would be fatal, you have a way of doing it in a less risky way."

Safe-injection sites can serve as a conduit into social services and
addition treatment, Zbar said, and can reduce drug-use rates over the
longer term. In Europe, she said, studies have shown a correlation
between harm-reduction programs and lower healthcare and justice
system costs.

There are two injection sites in Canada, both in Vancouver, but the
Commons health committee heard from several witnesses this fall who
call for the creation of more harm reduction facilities in the country
and the repeal or revision of the Harper government's Respect for
Communities Act, which established new legal hurdles for anyone
looking to set up injection sites.

As to whether such a site should be set up in Sudbury, Zbar said more
research would be needed to determine what the impact might be.

"It is an action area under the Community Drug Strategy, so it's
something that we're thinking about," Zbar said. "I can't really say
what the feasibility would be, where we would put it, what the
logistics would be, but it's part of the discussion and we do support
the concept and the principles of harm reduction."

There is a needle exchange program in the city called The Point, which
provides harm-reduction supplies to those who use drugs. Needles and
other injection and inhalation equipment, as well as information on
safer drug use, safe sex, community referrals to services, disposal
containers and condoms are available at several sites, including the
health unit, Sudbury Action Centre for Youth, Reseau ACCESS network,
and the Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy.

More information is available at www.sdhu.com.

Needle bins have also been installed in some public areas, to
discourage drug users from discarding them where they could pose a
health and safety hazard.

The Community Drug Strategy would need to look at how many people a
safe-injection site would impact, Zbar said, but no numbers are
available other than estimates based on how many use the needle
exchange program.

"In terms of its impact, if there are individuals who would be using
unsafe injection or inhalation equipment in an unsafe environment,
yes, this would be something that would impact them, not only just
their own health, but also their social circumstances, as they could
be linked into housing and addiction treatment services," she said.

Such a move would surely have its opponents. Members of the previous
Conservative government saw supervised injection sites as
government-sponsored means of enabling drug abuse. Former Prime
Minister Stephen Harper, while voicing opposition to the Vancouver
facility Insite in 2006, said, "We as a government will not use
taxpayers' money to fund drug use."

More recently, Tory MP Bob Saroya from Markham-Unionville called on
Markham city councillors to reject such sites in their community.

"Residents from different communities told me they fear these
injection sites are normalizing illegal behaviour and creating an
unsafe environment for children," Saroya said in a statement this past
October. "They are worried these sites will decrease their property
value. Furthermore, they are offended that the Liberal government is
wasting taxpayer dollars on purchasing drugs and paraphernalia for
addicts."

REAL Women of Canada, a socially conservative advocacy group, referred
to Philpott as "a dangerous woman" in a newsletter article earlier
this month.

"Instead of putting a stop to deaths by drug overdose, Dr. Philpott is
facilitating them by increasing the number of drug injection sites
across Canada," the article said.

Zbar said harm-reduction measures are meant to decrease rates of
overdose, however, and can even save tax dollars.

"When we have somebody using in an unsafe environment, it results in
increased use of emergency services, not only the ambulance, but
emergency department use, hospital stays, and that's what we also pay
through our tax dollars," she said. "What we've seen, especially from
European studies, is there is less cost incurred to the health-care
system as a result of harm-reduction services."

By creating a more supportive environment, she said, safe-injection
sites help to destigmatize the issue of drug use, which could
encourage users to seek help.

"As part of the health unit and the Community Drug Strategy, we are
pleased to hear that harm reduction is put back in focus and it's part
of a comprehensive strategy that's needed to address drug-related
harms, in addition to treatment, education, prevention and
enforcement, so we are happy to see this change in the attitude
towards people who use drugs."

- - With files from Canadian Press
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MAP posted-by: Matt