Canada Panel Pushes "Safe" Drug Injection Sites

The Canadian House of Commons Special Committee on the Non-Medical Use of Drugs recommended Monday that Canada establish "safe" injection sites as a way to cut the spread of diseases such as HIV among drug addicts -- a proposal that generated criticism from police and opposition politicians. The safe site proposal draws on experiences in European countries such as the Netherlands. "People are using drugs. Let's deal with the health problem," committee Chair Paddy Torsney said after submitting an interim report after 1.5 years of study. "They're somebody's brother or sister, and they're deserving of our care."

The proposal would allow addicts to bring their own heroin or other illegal drugs to a room where they can inject the drugs without penalty, under the supervision of medically trained personnel. The idea is harm reduction: to reduce blood-transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C, as well as to reduce overdose deaths. The committee also hopes to cut back on seedy drug scenes, like the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia.

The right-wing Canadian Alliance, the largest opposition party in Parliament, dismissed the findings of the Liberal-dominated committee, saying they were a recipe for "harm extension." The Alliance's Randy White said the European facilities the committee visited made no checks for the safety of drugs used, and opening safe sites did not succeed in cleaning up nearby neighborhoods. "Surrounding the facilities, I saw human carnage for blocks, as well as a substantial gathering of addicts and pushers in the areas where trafficking and using were reluctantly permitted," White said.

Police also blasted the idea of safe sites, saying they would do nothing to deal with the violent crimes committed by addicts who need to fund their habits, and would merely further encourage the drug culture. "Our concern is that we're sliding down a slippery slope to the point where it won't be long that we'll be hearing calls for dispensing drugs in those sites as well," said Canadian Police Association spokesperson David Griffin.

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