A Calgary columnist is being harshly criticized after she blamed a Vancouver supervised injection site for Cory Monteith’s death.
Licia Corbella’s editorial claims that everyone in Vancouver – from students to grandmothers – knows where to get heroin, suggesting that East Hastings street is a hot spot for a “heroin holiday or a crack cocaine carousal.”
Corbella said that Monteith, who died at the Fairmont Pacific Rim after mixing heroin and alcohol Saturday, got the drugs from Insite, a supervised injection site in the Downtown Eastside.
However, Insite doesn’t provide drugs.
The Vancouver Coastal Health funded site is a supervised injection environment where clean kits are provided and heroin users are monitored by health professionals.
Corbella goes on to argue that if Monteith, who struggled with addiction for years before his death, was visiting a different city he may not have been able to find heroin as easily and he may not have died.
Clay Adams, a spokesperson for Insite, said Corbella’s article was disappointing, frustrating and contained inaccurate facts.
“It was an editorial with comments that were not based on fact. We absolutely do not in any way shape or form supply heroin or any other illegal drug. One of the huge inaccuracies is that Insite provides drugs to people. It does not,” he said.
Adams said the article was full of myths that reflected Insite inaccurately.
Corbella’s article stated that “no one ever asks how many people have died of drug overdoses who use the safe injection site as a legally safe place to procure drugs.”
When asked this exact question, Adams said that while there have been overdoses at Insite, they have never had a fatality. adding that the centre is not a place to “procure drugs.”
In fact, he said more than 4,500 people who have used the site have gone to detox or rehab programs.
Corbella’s column was blasted on Twitter and Facebook for her opinions suggesting Vancouver and Insite were to blame for Monteith’s tragic death.
“The sad part of this entire thing is the suggestion that Vancouver was to blame for his death… it doesn’t help people form opinions around addiction and how to address the problems,” Adams said.
A candlelight vigil is being held in Vancouver Friday night to honour the Glee star.
Online reaction to Corbella’s column “Vancouver’s easy drug access may have helped kill Montheith.”
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