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Safe Injection Sites

Submitted by Sarah on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 10:41am.

harm reduction

Vancouver B.C. has a supervised drug injection site: Insite. The Canadian federal government recently gave them a sixteen month extension of their operating license.

Insite is conducted as a scientific research project, documented results so far are highly encouraging, including:

More people in treatment
no increase in drug related crime in area, less vehicle break ins
less public injections and less injection related litter
less syringe sharing
no deaths

Why aren't we doing this here in the States?

U.S. Institute of Health weighs in
Victoria B.C. considers

Sarah's blog
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a rhetorical question...right?

Submitted by enpen on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 3:02pm.

Our citizenry isn't ready to admit the crime that is The Drug War perpetrated upon poor people throughout the Americas.

"If you are a dreamer, come in. If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer. If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire, for we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!"

Rhetorical

Submitted by Sarah on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 3:40pm.

Yeah, a rhetorical question, but also an honest one for folks who don't really know what is going on. (I have this strange urge to burst into song now: What's Going On?)

A government sponsored

Submitted by Norm on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 3:11pm.

A government sponsored shelter to help people inject themselves with illegal drugs?

Harm Reduction

Submitted by Sarah on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 3:46pm.

A government, or non-profit scientific study testing harm reduction methods that increase safety for everyone.

Safer Injection Sites

"Safe injection rooms" are legally sanctioned, supervised facilities designed to reduce the health and public order problems associated with illegal injection drug use.

Safe injection rooms provide sterile injection equipment, information about drugs and health care, treatment referrals, and access to medical staff. Some offer counseling, hygienic and other services of use to itinerant and impoverished individuals. Most programs prohibit the sale or purchase of illegal drugs. Many require identification cards. Some restrict access to local residents and apply other admission criteria.

Evaluations of safe injection rooms generally find them successful in reducing injection-related risks and harms, including vein damage, overdose and transmission of disease. They also appear to be successful in reducing public order problems associated with illicit drug use, including improper syringe disposal and publicly visible illegal drug use.

Comparison

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 3:50pm.

Imagine if guns were illegal. Perhaps fire-arm enthusiasts would be relegated to this sort of a shelter, where they could retire to explode their ammunition in a controlled and government condoned environment, without risk or detriment to the rest of law-abiding society.

Already have them, they are

Submitted by Norm on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 3:53pm.

Already have them, they are called firing ranges. Most cities already have a "no firearms discharge" law on the books, they are usually waived in cases of self defense.

Oh, and the difference being I've gone weeks without being near a firearm, and was fine. I enjoy firearms, I'm not addicted to them. I don't waste away due to firearms use, and I don't end up losing my family because of my firearms use.

some of us with family members that have, or have had, problems with drug addictions don't find your comparison to be funny.

It irritates me that liberal

Submitted by Mike on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 3:58pm.

It irritates me that liberal judges keep waiving at the lawbreakers. The law says no discharge. You discharge, you get fined. It saved your life? Great. Pay the fine. Otherwise the lawbreakers never learn accountability and the laws mean nothing. tic

Oh, and the safe injection site? Good idea. An upgrade on needle exchange. Let's keep more of the habit in a more controlled environment and reduce the chance of needle stick accidents out in the community.

You would have to take that

Submitted by Norm on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 4:50pm.

You would have to take that up with the prosecutor, not the judge.

And

Submitted by Sarah on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 3:59pm.

And we have legally defined places to drink alcohol.

Comparisons are probably never going to be perfect, but they can add another perspective. Norm, in this discussion I am by no means demeaning anyone or putting them down, I am serious. Humor might still happen, but I take all this seriously. For personal family reasons also.

I just didn't like Rob's

Submitted by Norm on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 4:53pm.

I just didn't like Rob's comparison, he may have made it nonchalantly, I don't know, I just thought I'd let him know that I didn't like it. I agree no comparison is going to be perfect, and I also think that humor can be a good thing, but that last one felt like a poke, again I may just be defensive...it's been known to happen.

Anyway, I understand the reasoning for the program...I could just think of a dozen different things I'd rather sink my taxes into. I'm not trying to put down the program, but this just doesn't feel like a priority to me.

not...making...sense...anymore

Submitted by enpen on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 5:00pm.

Your taxes are currently going toward the arrest, prosecution and imprisonment of a helluva lot've drug users that pose little danger to anyone outside of themselves. One of the interesting facts about programs like these is that they are civically less expensive than criminalization. But if you'd rather pay more money for more prisons which in turn generate worse criminal behaviors...I guess that makes sense...in Backwardsland.

"If you are a dreamer, come in. If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer. If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire, for we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!"

Lesser of evils I suppose I

Submitted by Norm on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 5:08pm.

Lesser of evils I suppose I can understand, doesn't mean that I have to like it though and it doesn't mean that I don't think the money could be better spent.

Yeah

Submitted by Sarah on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 3:55pm.

Rob, you are so cool. Your comparison idea rocks.

Some People are Addicted to Guns

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 8:40pm.

I'm not saying that you are Norm. But there are people out there, who are addicted to guns, to holding them, shooting them and the rest. It's a power trip thing. There are also people who are addicted to driving big trucks. It does something for the ego (at least that's my understanding.) There are also people who own guns for aesthetic reasons. Or because they are pieces of Americana. Guns are a very intimate part of American history.

I'm in support of

Submitted by OlyCop on Fri, 10/20/2006 - 4:03am.

I'm in support of decriminalizing many, if not all illicit drugs. And I support even legalizing some. But I'm not for paying for the stuff with my tax dollars.

Some of the comparisions here brought a smile to my face.

So when you take us ADDICTED gun owners and put us in the special place, are the taxpayers going to pay for our guns, and our ammo, equipment etc.?

When alcoholics go out to the BroHo for a drink, the taxpayers aren't paying for that, maybe they should be, right? LOL.

Rob, I will say that some people do get a power trip from guns. But the true gun enthusiasts don't. The gun is mearly a tool to accomplish their hobby, (and yes it can double for personal protection). Just like a bat, ball, and glove for the people who enjoy softball.

Pretty hard to break clay pigeons with a hand full of rocks.

Oops, gotta go! Time for my morning injection of smokeless powder.

"The strongest reason to retain the right to keep and bear arms is to protect against tyranny in government." Thomas Jefferson.

Humor

Submitted by Sarah on Fri, 10/20/2006 - 6:38am.

I love OlyBlog humor.

gun "hobbyists" male v. female

Submitted by Crenshaw Sepulveda on Fri, 10/20/2006 - 6:55am.

I think I willing to admit that guns are part of Amrica's national character. It was really not that long ago that a person could clip a coupon out of a magazine and order a handgun through the mail. What I'm wondering about, and maybe you can tell me, what is the ratio between male gun hobbyists compared to female gun owners? I know there are a good number of women in the shooting sports, some even hunt, but I'd like to know if there are similar numbers of women that have more than 20 guns in their collections. I'm really just trying to determine if guns are a guy thing or is appeal of guns universal?

"I would make it impossible for the covetous and avaricious to utterly impoverish the poor. The rich can take care of themselves."
^@^

From what I've seen ( no

Submitted by Norm on Fri, 10/20/2006 - 7:50am.

From what I've seen ( no numbers here ) women are really starting to catch up. Between more and more competitions that are female only, instructional classes for women only, and many trying the concealed-carry thing nationwide the gap is getting smaller. For the most part I think men are the driving force though.

Well CS you know

Submitted by OlyCop on Fri, 10/20/2006 - 12:29pm.

The gal's guns are hers and the guy's guns are hers too. :)

"The strongest reason to retain the right to keep and bear arms is to protect against tyranny in government." Thomas Jefferson.

For the record, I don't

Submitted by Phil Owen on Fri, 10/20/2006 - 10:44am.

For the record, I don't think the gun/drug analogy was a good one. However, Olycop, I should also say that I'm pretty certain that the safe injection sites aren't providing the heroin. I imagine it's probably BYOH. While safe shooting galleries are a good thing, I think it would be a terrible idea for the government to give out free drugs!

So if I provide the ammo

Submitted by Norm on Fri, 10/20/2006 - 11:58am.

So if I provide the ammo you'd be ok with the government buying guns and a facility in order to let me shoot and get my fix?

If it kept people safer...

Submitted by Phil Owen on Fri, 10/20/2006 - 12:11pm.

I'd be totally in favor of it. But last I heard, you can't get AIDS or Hep C from sharing guns. Maybe a well regulated facility would increase safety. Dunno.

More rhetoric than anything

Submitted by Norm on Fri, 10/20/2006 - 12:17pm.

More rhetoric than anything =) I'm still having trouble digesting this system. I think that is *my* issue though, not the systems. I might need to think on it over the weekend, because really, the system seems plausible and a better alternative than many situations. Maybe it's too many years of D.A.R.E. or maybe it's too many friends/relatives I've seen harmed by drugs. I might have to do some disconnecting.

Guns and butter

Submitted by Crenshaw Sepulveda on Fri, 10/20/2006 - 12:18pm.

It is good to see people having fun with a topic. Lord knows we need to have a little fun. Safe Needle Injection Sites are part of a concept know as harm reduction. We know that people are going to do harmful things to themselves. Some of us believe it is important to mitigate the harm done by the behavior. Some of us also believe that being part of a harm reduction process, both from the user stand point and from the provider stand point, can not also reduce the harm done to people as the result of their behavior, but we can actually start the dialog that leads the person to rehab. A person that is exchanging old dirty needles for fresh new ones is in a different mind space then the user who just is concerned with their drug and using it. The exchanger is concerned with their health, the exchanger is concerned with the health of others. This is pretty powerful stuff. It is not just providing a place to inject or fresh needles, it is changing behaviors and mindsets.

I'm wondering if we can apply a little of the harm reduction concept to gun owners. Clearly there is an addictive quality to being a gun owner. Clearly there are usage issues. Clearly there is the potential to harm your self or others. Sounds like we need a harm reduction program for gun owners. Let them have their guns, let them shoot (ironic choice of words) their guns. But let us reduce the harm, any suggestions?

"I would make it impossible for the covetous and avaricious to utterly impoverish the poor. The rich can take care of themselves."
^@^

I think we filled up the

Submitted by Norm on Fri, 10/20/2006 - 12:37pm.

I think we filled up the other thread on this subject, I may just have to start a new one. I've contemplated getting a few decent pictures and going over safety with each design, just within the blog. I mentioned on the other thread also, I think education is huge. I actually have a problem with our concealed carry law here ( although if you look at the numbers, we have quite a few permits out there, and not a lot of damage ) in that I think the state should setup a weekend long handgun safety program for handgun owners, or potential owners. Not a whole lot different than hunter safety education. Some pro-gun folks disagree with me there though.

What Cren said

Submitted by Sarah on Fri, 10/20/2006 - 7:19pm.

Yes on the humor, yes on harm reduction. I'd like to cast my vote on these two issues.

I personally would like harm reduction applied most everywhere it can be.

Also

Submitted by OlyCop on Fri, 10/20/2006 - 12:46pm.

I played along on the addictive gun thing, but really they are no more addictive than books, cars or anything else someone likes to do.

"The strongest reason to retain the right to keep and bear arms is to protect against tyranny in government." Thomas Jefferson.

Aiming close to home...

Submitted by Phil Owen on Sat, 10/21/2006 - 11:23am.

Anyone for Safe Blogging Sites?

Certainly

Submitted by Sarah on Sat, 10/21/2006 - 11:31am.

I volunteer to be part of the S.B.S. designated seal of approval crew.

I assume one of many, many unsafe blogging sites would include caiman dens.

My name is Jason...

Submitted by enpen on Sat, 10/21/2006 - 2:21pm.

...and I'm addicted to OlyBlog.

"If you are a dreamer, come in. If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer. If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire, for we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!"

Welcome

Submitted by Sarah on Sun, 10/22/2006 - 12:11pm.

Welcome, you've taken the first step.

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