saving InSite (Vancouver's safe injection site)

[iverglas]

Thought I'd pass along this request for support for InSite.

My email will say: hmm, a program that saves lives, enhances community safety, and doesn't cost the federal government a dime. Surely a Conservative government's dream come true.

(Do forgive the source. Perhaps Liberal MPs are circulating similar requests, and someone can provide us with one.)

________________________________________

Subject: A Call for Action to Save INSITE
Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:32:39 -0700
From: "Libby Davies, MP" <[e-mail]>
To: <[e-mail]>

Dear friends,

I am writing you today regarding the fate of INSITE, North America’s first supervised safe injection facility. As you may know, this program started as a three-year study in September of 2003, and the results have been incredibly impressive. INSITE has reduced public injections, reduced the transmission of blood-borne infections like HIV and Hepatitis C, and reduced the number of injection-related infections. Most significantly, however, is that of 453 overdoses at INSITE, not one has resulted in a fatality. This is strong evidence of the success that this project has had in reducing the harm to drug-users.

However, despite its successes, INSITE is at risk of closing down. The facility exists because of an exemption under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. If Health Minister Tony Clement does not renew this exemption, this facility will close down as of September 12th of this year. Therefore, I am urging you to take action.

If you believe that INSITE should continue, then please let Tony Clement know!

His email address is:

[e-mail]

Please send me a copy of your email to the Health Minister if you decide to write, and also send a copy to [e-mail]. I have included some recent letters that I have written to Prime Minister Harper and Health Minister Clement below for reference. You can also get additional information about the facility at “Insite for
Community Safety” (www.communityinsite.ca).

If we can speak with one voice, we can let this government know how people really feel about this important program.

I thank you for your continued support!

Yours sincerely,

Libby Davies
MP, Vancouver East

[gula]

1. May I use this?

Thanks for your "reply"

[iverglas]

2. sure!

Here's my whole message. Do you know, my public school teachers used to complain that I was too brief?

The Hon. Tony Clement
Minister of Health
House of Commons

Dear Mr. Clement:

I am writing to urge you to renew the exemption that INSITE currently enjoys under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, so that it is able to continue its obviously good work.

I live in a neighbourhood in ______ that is plagued by drug dealing and the social problems that arise out of it. I have also had long personal acquaintance with IV drug users -- and with the horrifyingly inadequate and inappropriate services they are offered if they wish to try to stop.

As well, my best friend's brother died last week, at 46, after his transplanted liver succumbed to the Hepatitis C he had contracted years ago. His infection came from the blood supply, but it doesn't really matter to the families of the victims how they contracted the disease; the death is just as pointless and painful in every case.

I am not speaking out of ignorance, inexperience or ideology.

I would like to see the victims of the drug dealers in my community afforded some small measure of security, as long as circumstances exist in which people are victimized in this way. That is what INSITE does in Vancouver.

Here you have a program that saves lives, enhances community safety, and doesn't cost the federal government a dime. I would think that all parties in the House could agree on the wisdom of continuing it.

Thank you for your consideration of my comments.

Yours truly,

If yer interested, here are Libby's sample letters ... oh, I see we were supposed to copy Steve.

The Right Hon. Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
Room 313S Centre Block
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Dear Prime Minister,

I would like to draw to your attention to the enclosed recent scientific evaluation of Vancouver’s medically supervised safe injection facility.

(Well, unless you feel like finding it, I guess you don't want to use this paragraph ...)

This paper shows very clearly the positive impact of the facility, both in improving public health and in decreasing crime. You may be aware that the chief of police in Vancouver recently called for the ongoing operation of the facility for three years. While I realize that such a facility may appear to be at odds with your views on drug use, the hard evidence is showing us that safe injection sites are a key component in responding to the drug crisis in many urban areas.

I sincerely hope you will renew the exemption, and not leap to erroneous conclusions about this valuable program.

Yours sincerely,
Libby Davies
MP, Vancouver East
cc. Health Minister Tony Clement

(Well, of course, neither one of us is Libby Davies, either.)


July 4, 2006

The Hon. Tony Clement, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Health
Room 278 Confederation Building
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Dear Minister,

I am following up on a letter that I sent to Prime Minister Harper, and copy circulated to you, on June 1st of this year regarding Vancouver’s Safe Injection Site, known as Insite. In that letter, I included a recent study by “Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy”, which showed that Vancouver’s Insite was not associated with a marked increase in drug-related criminal activity. In fact, it showed a significant decline in break-ins and thefts since its opening. However, since Insite is up for federal review in September, I felt it urgent that you receive as much evidence as possible that shows the success of Insite, in the belief that Insite must continue.

Enclosed, I have included a research summary by Vancouver Coastal Health, which shows the tremendous success of Insite in reducing harm to those who use illicit drugs. Most notably, the research shows that Insite is leading to an increase in users who choose to enter detoxification programs and addiction treatment, and that 453 overdoses have resulted in no fatalities thanks to the availability of qualified medical staff. I hope you find the included facts helpful
to recognize that Insite is performing well and needs ongoing support.

Because of the importance of Insite in reducing harm to so many of my constituents in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, I am requesting a meeting with you in order to further discuss this matter. I hope you will seriously consider my request. I feel very strongly that the evidence is clear, and would welcome the opportunity to let you know how strongly Insite is supported in Vancouver.

I thank you for your time, and anxiously await your reply.

Yours sincerely,
Libby Davies, MP
Vancouver East

Obviously, letters of support from people in Vancouver would be particularly helpful!

[MrPrax]

3. One other thing...

As the study has proceeded, there has been an rather unexpected benefit: facility users are 3 times as likely to seek treatment and stay clean. Even the organizers of the study were quite shocked to find this out as the whole idea of this 'pillar' in the Four Pillar was simply harm reduction, but has in fact served as a front line entry point into addiction treatment.

It really goes to show the hypocrisy of the Tories and anyone else, as they are not alone, as I can count at least dozens of card-carrying New Dums I know that think just like them, that decry drugs, addicts and crime, but when it comes to treatment facilities, that part seems to be forgotten. It would appear that Conservatives seem to think that incarceration is the cure -- of course there is enough evidence to suggest that this only condemns people to a cycle of addiction, crime and prison.

In fact, the treatment part of inSite has been so successful that they announced an expansion of their direct treatment services this week:


Vancouver's safe injection site adding beds


The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority plans to put 30 beds in the city's safe injection site, for the use of addicts who want to stop using.

The city has approved the health authority's development application for 30 beds in the former hotel in the Downtown Eastside where addicts can inject themselves safely.

Spokeswoman Vivianna Zanocco says the beds should make a big difference for addicts who want to begin treatment.

"They're not able to access that treatment immediately, and we have to send them home with the directions to wait a day or two before we can get them in," she told CBC Radio.

CBC

This is really fucking frustrating as ALL political parties have through the 90s in western Canada have slashed and burned their treatment facilities for cost effectiveness, ideologies and 'new approaches' and have never bothered to replace them or even deal seriously with the ACTUAL addiction.

It seems almost as if there is a plan to continue to ignore 'treatment' and even the media seems to have bought into the 'cop talk' that inSite has done nothing to affect the crime problem associated with drug addiction.

But since it was never designed as a compliment to law enforcement, but a health approach (to cut down on HIV infection and overdoses) why then would this be a responsibility of this facility or any other 'health' agency. This would be like blaming Health Canada for obesity.

This is the Tory angle on all this...purely ideological and nothing more and it's really too bad, since the Tories don't have anything else to propose either except the 'law and order' schtick which is fine if your a stupid asshole ordering the world from your comfortable small-town porch in Medicine Hat and NOT dealing with the effects of the problems in the major cities.

Please spread this around and if you can send an angry email if you are inclined...

It is the ONLY one in all of North America and it would be nice to think that in a great big place like North America, with it's enormous appetite for illegal drugs, at least one clinic, doing one study, could cotinue, so that we can find out if this is a valuable approach.

Whatever happened to diversity? What are the alternatives? The same one's we have been following for the last 100 years? Have they worked? Let's put aside the morality and start focusing on the problems of these people.

I live in the Downtown Eastside BTW