VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Using ideology over evidence — that’s one what advocate is accusing Conservative Leader Stephen Harper of doing as he calls supervised injection sites dangerous.
Adrienne Smith with the PIVOT Legal Society says the sites do not increase crime, despite Harper’s comments.
“The peer-reviewed research about INSITE has shown for the last decade and a half that not only does INSITE save lives from overdoses, it reduces the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C, it reduces street disorder in the communities and it increases public order,” explains Smith.
Dr. Patricia Daily with Vancouver Coastal Health backs that up.
“There’s no evidence that crime has increased in the neighbourhood of INSITE. In fact in our recent renewal for federal exemptions to allow INSITE to operate legally, the Vancouver police chief has written letters in support of INSITE, indicating that they have no public safety concerns with its operation,” says Daily.
Daily says the Tories have brought in legislation to make it more difficult for supervised injection sites to pop up without extensive consultation.