K.J
09-22-2006, 08:41 AM
I've been a huge supporter of this program since it was still a grass-roots program. I'm very happy to see this reported so well by a mainstream web news publication! Can you imagine what this place might be like if they also opened an ibogaine treatment center nearby?? Wow! I'm going to see if I can get these guys talking with the ibogaine treatment clinic (http://www.ibogaine-therapy.net/) down in Mexico that Daniel went to.
K.J
p.s. click on the link for the full (3 page) story. You have to watch a free ad to get full access, but it shouldn't be any sweat off your back...the story is worth it. :D
Vancouver has halted a drug epidemic by helping street addicts shoot up in safety. Will Bush's drug czar learn from the Canadians' success? (http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/09/22/harm_reduction/)
Sept. 22, 2006 | VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Three years ago, Vancouver opened a bold new front in the eternal war on drugs. In a downtown neighborhood notorious for street addicts, healthcare workers began welcoming clients into a new "safe injection site," a legal facility for users of illegal narcotics such as heroin and cocaine.
Since then, 18 hours a day, seven days a week, users have been free to enter Insite, located in a renovated storefront at 135 East Hastings Street, and inject their own drugs under the supervision of healthcare professionals. Inside, there are 12 individual booths where users shoot up. They are given clean gear, including needles, spoons and tourniquets. Afterward, they are free to relax in an adjacent "chill-out" room, where they can drink coffee and watch TV. They can also get medical advice and information about rehabilitation programs.
The operation, which today remains the only one of its kind in North America, is funded and run by the provincial Canadian government. This month, the federal government was set to rule on whether to extend Insite's legal status, but has decided to delay the decision. In the meantime, Insite will be allowed to continue operating while additional studies are conducted into how the program affects treatment, prevention and crime.
For drug experts across North America, it will continue to be a closely watched experiment in curtailing drug use, and related crime and urban blight. They know that eradicating the world's supply of illicit narcotics is a statistical impossibility. According to the United Nations' 2006 World Drug Report, despite a record seizure of massive quantities of opiates -- 120 metric tons worldwide -- law enforcement managed to intercept less than one-quarter of the total produced.
But while the war can never be won, Vancouver is winning a key battle. The Insite program has saved hundreds of lives. It has wiped away much of the drug use in the surrounding streets, while increasing the number of addicts seeking treatment and rehabilitation. Some local conservatives, once fierce opponents of the injection site, are now backing it. And supporters believe the site's success will prove a beachhead for a less punitive and more humane war on drugs extending across Canada -- and even to drug-troubled cities south of the Canadian border.
K.J
p.s. click on the link for the full (3 page) story. You have to watch a free ad to get full access, but it shouldn't be any sweat off your back...the story is worth it. :D
Vancouver has halted a drug epidemic by helping street addicts shoot up in safety. Will Bush's drug czar learn from the Canadians' success? (http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/09/22/harm_reduction/)
Sept. 22, 2006 | VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Three years ago, Vancouver opened a bold new front in the eternal war on drugs. In a downtown neighborhood notorious for street addicts, healthcare workers began welcoming clients into a new "safe injection site," a legal facility for users of illegal narcotics such as heroin and cocaine.
Since then, 18 hours a day, seven days a week, users have been free to enter Insite, located in a renovated storefront at 135 East Hastings Street, and inject their own drugs under the supervision of healthcare professionals. Inside, there are 12 individual booths where users shoot up. They are given clean gear, including needles, spoons and tourniquets. Afterward, they are free to relax in an adjacent "chill-out" room, where they can drink coffee and watch TV. They can also get medical advice and information about rehabilitation programs.
The operation, which today remains the only one of its kind in North America, is funded and run by the provincial Canadian government. This month, the federal government was set to rule on whether to extend Insite's legal status, but has decided to delay the decision. In the meantime, Insite will be allowed to continue operating while additional studies are conducted into how the program affects treatment, prevention and crime.
For drug experts across North America, it will continue to be a closely watched experiment in curtailing drug use, and related crime and urban blight. They know that eradicating the world's supply of illicit narcotics is a statistical impossibility. According to the United Nations' 2006 World Drug Report, despite a record seizure of massive quantities of opiates -- 120 metric tons worldwide -- law enforcement managed to intercept less than one-quarter of the total produced.
But while the war can never be won, Vancouver is winning a key battle. The Insite program has saved hundreds of lives. It has wiped away much of the drug use in the surrounding streets, while increasing the number of addicts seeking treatment and rehabilitation. Some local conservatives, once fierce opponents of the injection site, are now backing it. And supporters believe the site's success will prove a beachhead for a less punitive and more humane war on drugs extending across Canada -- and even to drug-troubled cities south of the Canadian border.