In Vancouver, B.C, one of the most well known areas for drug trafficking and using was the area around Main and Hastings- sometimes referred to as Pain and Wastings due to the 2,000 fatal overdoses that have occurred in the area in the past decade- where public washrooms and deserted alleyways used to be the place one could easily find addicts trying to fix. That was until the launch of Insite- a supervised injection facility that opened in 2003. Since its opening, 7,000 participants have joined and the facility has helped in the prevention of over 200 overdoses. Insite receives between 750 and 800 visitors daily. That’s 750 to 800 people that are helping in stopping the spread of disease by using clean needles each day. In the last 10 years, new cases of HIV in the Downtown Eastside have decreased from 2,100 in 1996 to just 30 in 2006.
This program seems like a great success but there has been a lot of controversy since it started. Although British Columbia and Vancouver along with many others strongly support the first supervised injection site in North America, Prime Minister Steven Harper and Canada Health Minister Tony Clement have been trying to find ways to shut the site down.
The question stuck in a lot of people’s mind is Why? Numerous times Harper has been asked why he is so opposed to the program. His only response has been that he doesn’t believe Canada should be using taxpayers’ money to fund drug use. Canada’s Health Minister, Tony Clement, agrees with the Prime Minister that Insite is not a good idea for Canada. At a World Health Organization meeting in Mexico City, Clement reassured his position on injection sites. “Allowing and/or encouraging people to inject heroin into their veins is not harm reduction, it is the opposite. … We believe it is a form of harm addition”
Insite’s reports have shown nothing but signs of improvement in all aspects and over half of the residents in Vancouver agree and support it. Dean Wilson- the president of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users- told Matthew Burrows of Straight.com, why he thinks Harper and Clement want to shut down what appears to be a breakthrough to drug addicts in Vancouver “…[Harper] is sick. Tony Clement, for one, doesn’t know shit about health, and he’s a health minister. And the prime minister doesn’t care about poor people. He doesn’t care about sick people. Instead of taking tons of dirty laundry and hiding it, let’s build a laundromat.…There are ways of solving these problems, and I think it’s time to do it.” If Stephen Harpers only argument against Insite is that he doesn’t believe Canada should be using taxpayers’ money to fund drug use, it is time that we take a look at the Canadian budget.
The budget for Canada for 2009 includes $20 billion invested in personal income tax relief this year. $12 billion will be spent in new infrastructure stimulus funding for roads, bridges, broadband Internet access, electronic health records, laboratories and border crossings across the country and up to $200 billion through the Extraordinary Financing Framework will help businesses obtain the financing they need to invest, grow and create new jobs. No taxpayer would be opposed to the way that their money is being spent. It is helping Canadians with jobs maintain stability during the recession we have stumbled in to. If taxpayers are comfortable with their government spending $200 billion for large businesses to flourish, what makes Stephan Harper think that they’ll be upset if a mere one million dollars is spent keeping Insite running each year? As a leader, Harper should be taking into consideration what the people of Vancouver and British Columbia want for their neighbors and communities. Studies and surveys show time and time again that the majority of people living in Vancouver commend Insite for making a difference in the community and believe it should remain open indefinitely.
The research done and the results discovered show just why everyone is so supportive. Vancouver New Democrat MP Libby Davies says enough research has been done to show that Insite is effective and that the government is "having a harder and harder time figuring out how they are going to say no [to keeping Insite open]." Insite has helped drug users into detoxification programs and addictions treatment facilities. It has had a good impact on the community as there are less people using drugs on the streets. Stores in the area have especially noticed the improvement as their businesses are doing better. This program is attracting high-risk users that are more likely to be vulnerable to HIV infection and overdose. Between 2006 and 2007 over 200 overdoses occurred at Insite. Thanks to medical personnel being on duty, none of these overdoses have been fatal. This helps in preventing overdose deaths and reducing hospital visits. Keeping Insite open is actually saving tax payers money. It helps keep IV drug users out of the health care system after overdosing or catching diseases such as HIV and AIDS which decreases the amount of money being spent on hospital visits and medications. This is helping to free beds in hospitals for other patients with other illnesses. I
Insite has failed to show any negative set backs that the Prime Minister can find. It seems as though he will look under every stone to find a way to shut this life-saving site down while at the same time, it is receiving support from local businesses in the area, the health care community – including the BC Nurses Union as well as drug users, the MP and MLA for the community, the city of Vancouver, the Province of British Columbia and the World Health Organization. It is time for Harper and Clement to trust the facts. Insite saves lives and as a leader of this country, Harper is to speak for the people which he will have failed to do if he decides to shut down Insite.
