Insite

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that Vancouver has a seedier side - the city has problems with homelessness, gangs, and drug use. A neighbourhood called the Downtown Eastside is particularly hard hit by these social problems. This neighbourhood is home to North America's first and only legal supervised injection site: Insite. At this facility, drug users can get clean needles and inject their drugs under medical supervision. The clinic, unsurprisingly, is extremely controversial.


Proponents of Insite say that access to clean needles helps reduce the transmission of HIV and hepatitis, which are often transmitted when drug users share needles. The clinic also saves lives; almost 500 drug users overdosed at Insite last year, but thanks to the Insite nurses, not a single one died. When addicts decide they are ready to "go clean" (stop using drugs), Insite connects them to rehabilitation programs and support organizations.

Opponents of Insite believe that helping addicts use drugs is morally and legally wrong, regardless of the reasons. The Conservative Party of Canada has been fighting to make Insite illegal for several years. At present, Insite operates under a "legal exemption" from Canadian drug laws. If the Conservative Party succeeds, this exemption will be repealed, and Insite will be forced to close.

What do you think? Does Insite condone drug use, and is that morally wrong, despite the many safety and health benefits for addicts?

You can find a short article discussing the advantages of Insite here. If you are up for a challenge, there is a much longer article here. Matthew Power, the reporter, spent time at Insite, speaking to nurses and drug addicts to learn their perspectives on the clinic.