Vancouver Injection Drug Facility to Remain Open

A facility called Insite in a poorer area of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, has the backing of the Canadian Supreme Court to stay open despite disapproval from the federal government and some citizens.

The Supreme Court decision was unanimous 9-0 in favor of the injection site, with the court finding that the facility had helped save lives and had not caused any damage to public health. The ruling has led to speculation that more of these types of injection facilities might open in Canada, and that the provinces of Canada have the right to provide health care even if that health care violates their national drug policy.

The facilities exist to provide addicts, specifically heroin addicts, a safe and clean place to shoot up and, more importantly, clean syringes. This approach is called "harm reduction", and it seeks to reduce the spread of blood borne diseases such as hepatitis and HIV through needle sharing. The users must bring their own drugs, however; none are provided by the state.

There is a general sentiment in Canada that addiction problems are more effectively and elegantly handled by the health care system than the criminal justice system.

Either way, it's a much more compassionate approach to rehabilitation than what we generally prescribe in America. HIV is preventable, and treatment is costly (and so are prisons). Centers like this provide the disease prevention and they also provide education and support and can serve as a starting point in recovery.

More importantly though than cost reduction is that this facility promotes compassion for addicts and gives them humanity, which I think is ultimately more effective in treating serious addiction. I'm not saying we should give them suckers after they've administered their dose and compliment their bloodless, scarified veins, I'm just saying that, since addicts are functioning in a different mindset, under entirely different priorities, than a normal human, and since heroin use replaces a persons personality with a singular desire for heroin, maybe we should make a greater effort to show these folks how to be human again without heroin. The best way to do this is through love and compassion, Canada style, not prison, which only further dehumanizes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15130282

By Bob Hartzer