Vancouver’s supervised drug injection facility may soon become home to North America’s first free heroin distribution centre.
In a news conference celebrating the Supreme Court decision to keep the drug-injection facility Insite open, renowned AIDS doctor Julio Montaner opened called for expansion of its services to include the distribution of heroin.
“If you know what people are injecting it will be much safer,” said Montaner. “I see this as the very next question we have to wrestle with. It is question about when and how we are able to embrace it for implementation.”
“(The RCMP) actually indicated to me that they would be a lot more comfortable if we would had have fully medically supervised dispensing and supervision of the drugs.”
Montaner was one of four supporters of Insite to address the media at a formal news conference inside the Vancouver facility. Vancouver police clinical trials conducted at the University of British Columbia, and shut down by the Stephen Harper government, have found providing clean drugs to users cuts down on the open market drug trade and the spread of disease. Experts at the supervised injection site said it is impossible to check and see if the drugs brought into the clinic are clean.
The proponents of Insite call this a “victory of science over ideology.”
“How would you like to be told by the Supreme Court of Canada that you were unconstitutional. This looks like my sixth grade teacher saying I am out of order and you have to comply with the order of the court,” added Montaner.
Hundreds of supporters of Insite packed in front of the facility early Friday morning to watch the Supreme Court decision on a large screen. Chants rang out after Portland Hotel Society - which operates the facility - executive Liz Evans declared Insite had won.
The decision from Canada’s highest court also clears the way for the introduction of a smoke nhalation room where people could use crack. Insite’s current location on the East Hastings Street already has the capability to expand the services to offer more ways for addicts to consume their drugs.
“It opens up the door for us to explore more treatment options acknowledging that is approach is legitimate,” said Evans. “It just means that we can continue to be creative.”
Vancouver’s facility may not be the only one expanding. The lawyer on Insite’s case said the ruling from the SCOC has sent a clear message that more cities could open up similar clinics for harm reduction.
“There is no reason to think that the government can deny exceptions to other Insite’s across Canada if the facility is operated in the same way,” said lawyer Joe Arvay.
