Tough new rules for supervised drug consumption sites introduced by the federal government Thursday are an attempt to close down Vancouver’s InSite and prevent communities such as Victoria from opening facilities, critics say.
The bill lists numerous conditions — including community, municipal, law enforcement, provincial and public health support — that must be met before the federal health minister issues an exemption allowing a site to operate.
Applicants must also document the site’s expected effect on crime rates, set up procedures to mitigate local problems and demonstrate public-health reasons for needing such a site.
Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, who would have the final say on applications, said local voices must be heard on any proposed site.
“Our government believes that creating a location for sanctioned use of drugs, obtained from illicit sources, has the potential for great harm in the community,” Aglukkaq said.
The federal government says it is moving in response to a Supreme Court of Canada decision, but groups such as the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition say the new legislation goes far beyond the court ruling.
“It is unethical, unconstitutional and damaging to both public health and the public purse to block access to supervised consumption services which save lives and prevent the spread of infections,” the coalition said in a statement.
The Supreme Court ruled against the federal government’s decision to not issue further exemptions to Vancouver’s InSite and said there is proof InSite saves lives.
In Victoria, local agencies have expressed interest in opening a similar site, but there has been no official exemption application.
Katrina Jensen, AIDS Vancouver Island executive director, said there is a need for such a site in Victoria.
“We have had eight overdose deaths in the last six months and those are deaths that could have been prevented if we had a supervised consumption site,” she said.
“I think there’s overwhelming evidence that a site in Victoria would save lives and be beneficial to the community.”
Without a site, people who are homeless will continue to inject drugs on the street, she said.
Jensen believes most people in the community would support a site as the only way to stop open drug use, but said the new rules mean an objection from one person could scuttle an application.
“This makes people’s access to this health service dependent on whether any member of the community objects to it,” she said.
Leaders of the B.C. Nurses’ Union also criticized the bill, saying the government appears determined to frustrate efforts to provide evidence-based health-care services to people suffering from the disease of addiction.
“How does this respect the Supreme Court of Canada decision that recognized these facilities save lives?” said union president Debra McPherson.
The Harper government has relentlessly opposed InSite, which has support from the provincial government, health authority, police and businesses, McPherson said.
She said the legislation is a smokescreen for the government’s real agenda of “pandering to prejudice and misplaced morality over health care, evidence and a coherent strategy on addictions and mental health.”
