Vancouver Safe Injection Site

[Black Dog]

I worked with drug addicted people involved in the criminal justice system for a number of years. I can tell that it is my experience in most cases, all we managed to accomplish was to enable criminals to escape responsibility for their offences, and in a majority of cases they are still plying their chosen professions, and they are still high a good part of the time.

Gee, maybe that's a indication that the policies we currently have in place aren't working. I find it odd you'd resist new approaches when the old one's are so clearly inadequate.

I'm a firm believer in making people responsible for their own choices in life. To do otherwise is to enable them to continue in a lifestyle of drug abuse and crime. Do you really think for one minute that just because you provide a drug addict with a safe injection site, that they will magically stop doing crime.

It's pretty obvious you don't know what a safe injection site is or what purpose they serve. You seem to think it's a place where "criminals" can go and get free drugs. Safe injection rooms provide sterile injection equipment, information about drugs and health care, treatment referrals, and access to medical staff. Some offer counseling, hygienic and other services of use to itinerant and impoverished individuals. Most prohibit the sale or purchase of illegal drugs. Many programs require identification cards. Some restrict access to local residents and apply other admission criteria.

What's more is, unlike your draconian approach, they work. Evaluations of safe injection sites in Europe have found them to be successful in reducing injection-related risks and harms, including vein damage, overdose and transmission of disease. They also appear to be successful in reducing public order problems associated with illicit drug use, including improper syringe disposal and public drug use.

And your argument from authority is pretty bogus , given that we have no way of knowing whether you're tellling the truth, or even remptely qualified to make any judgements on criminal justic or drug policy.

The indisputable facts are that the hard-line approach, both to drug use and in incarceration, doesn't work. The proof is in the pudding. That's why we have the push for new solutions in the first place.