Canadian court orders gov't to keep safe drug injection site open

Canadian court orders gov't to keep safe drug injection site open

Canada's highest court ruled Friday against a federal government plan to shut down a safe drug injection clinic.

The Supreme Court of Canada, in a unanimous decision by its nine judges, voted against the decision to close down Insite clinic in Vancouver on the grounds that it was arbitrary and violated the principles of fundamental justice.

It ordered the government to grant an exemption to Insite medical staff from being prosecuted for drug possession or trafficking.

The eight-year-old clinic, the only one of its kind in North America, does not sell drugs, but provides a medically supervised place for addicts to inject illegal substances like heroin and cocaine.

Medical staff at the clinic hand out clean needles and treat overdose cases. People using drugs in the clinic are not arrested or reported to the police, but they must not sell drugs near Insite.

Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, who wrote the verdict, said: "It is grossly disproportionate: the potential denial of health services and the correlative increased risk of death and disease to injection drug users outweigh any benefit that might be derived from maintaining an absolute prohibition on possession of illegal drugs on Insite's premises."

The ruling came as a disappointment for Prime Minister Stephen Harper as the shut-down proposal was one of the cornerstones of his tough-on-crime policy.

"We're disappointed," Harper told reporters Friday. "We have a different policy. We'll take a look at the decision, but we will clearly act in respect and within the constraints of the decision."

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq told the House of Commons that although the government was disappointed with the Supreme Court of Canada's decision, it would comply.

Meanwhile, supporters of the clinic argued it had helped reduce the number of drug overdose deaths and rein in the spread of HIV-AIDS in Vancouver's Downtown East Side, a crime-ridden area near the centre of Canada's third-largest city.

Libby Davies, a member of parliament who represents the Vancouver district, said she was delighted with the court's ruling.

"Since it opened in 2003 in my riding, fatal overdoses have dropped by a third. More people get treatment as Insite is there to connect people with the services they need. Today, the people who use this service have had their voices heard," Davies said.

Dr. John Haggie, president of the Canadian Medical Association, also voiced his approval of the ruling, saying "it saved lives and it's a proven tool in management of addiction.

"We would like to see it as part of a national strategy," Haggie added.

The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) also applauded the decision. "Addiction-related drug use is a health issue and not a criminal justice issue," CPHA President Debra Lynkowski said.

The government is pressing ahead with a new crime bill that will adopt a hard line toward people who possess drugs, including small amounts of marijuana. The law is expected to pass by the end of the year.

Editor: Yamei Wang

English.news.cn   2011-10-01 15:09:42 FeedbackPrintRSS
by Mark Bourrie

OTTAWA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua)