Toronto Will Reduce Harm Through Supervised Injection Services

published on March 9, 2017 by Shannon Hazlett, in The Public Policy & Governance Review

According to a 2013 Toronto report, 206 people died from drug overdoses in that year, the highest annual number to date. Toronto is following the lead of its West Coast counterpart, Vancouver, in establishing supervised injection sites. The City is planning to introduce at least three supervised injection services to provide drug users with a safe place to inject, where they will have access to clean needles and supervision from nurses.

A recent report published by the City of Toronto presents supervised injection services as a health service working to reduce the number of overdoses and transmission of blood borne diseases such as HIV or hepatitis. According to the report, there was a 41 per cent increase in the number of deaths by overdose between 2004 and 2013.

...

Drug users who go to Insite, one of Vancouver’s two safe injection service locations, are less likely to share needles because they receive access to clean ones.

A study by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS suggests that the enormous benefits of introducing safe injection services among injection drug users include reducing HIV risk behaviour, promoting access to addiction treatment, and reducing the risk of overdose. Sharing needles is one of the primary ways HIV is contracted among injection drug users. Drug users who go to Insite, one of Vancouver’s two safe injection service locations, are less likely to share needles because they receive access to clean ones. In addition, those who use the safe injection service were more likely to enter into a detox program. Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside saw the fatal overdose rate decrease by 35 per cent after opening the supervised injection facility in 2005.

Harm reduction policies for injection drug users in Canada have largely changed since the introduction of safe injection services. Developing Canada’s Research Base for Harm Reduction and Health Equity Approaches to HIV Prevention and Treatment report found that since the establishment of Insite, all health authorities in British Columbia are required to inform injection drug users about HIV therapy. The attention given to harm reduction policies and practices for injection drug users across Canada has increased as a result of Insite. Changing the policy process is necessary to significantly reduce the number of deaths by injection drug overdoses.

Although injection sites have been proven to be beneficial for reducing harm to injection drug users, they can be a cause of concern for those living near the facilities. Through City of Toronto consultations, the City recognized that local communities were worried about an increase in crime, a decrease in personal safety, heightened drug use and a negative impact on neighbourhood cleanliness due to discarded needles. To address these challenges, the City proposed to increase police presence in the neighbourhoods, as well as create patient waiting areas to reduce loitering among drug users. The City also plans to implement a community advisory committee to address ongoing concerns regarding the operation of supervised injection services.

View the full article >>

BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

Search form

Toronto Will Reduce Harm Through Supervised Injection Services

Search form