TORONTO – Crack addicts in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside will soon be able to pick up free, clean crack pipes from their local health authority as part of the city’s harm-reduction strategy to curb the transmission of diseases through pipe sharing.
Advocates say the new pilot project, which hits streets in October, will help health care and social workers connect with at-risk drug addicts, potentially bringing them into the health care system and exposing them to rehab options.
“If you can deliver them (harm-reduction programs) in a way where you can get people into other services, that’s very beneficial,” says Dr. Patricia Daly, the medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health.
Health authorities in Calgary and Winnipeg are already distributing crack pipes. In other cities, local community groups hand out individual mouth pieces to users.
According to figures released by the University of Victoria, two thirds of crack users in Vancouver and Victoria share pipes. Sharing puts users at an increased risk of contracting HIV or hepatitis. Still, critics argue free pipe distribution encourages addiction.
On Tuesday, GlobalNews.ca asked readers what they thought of the pilot project in B.C.
Several readers sided with critics of the program.
Jasmine Kong-Bilinski responded on Facebook with a question about the funding of the project. “Shouldn’t this type of money be spent at schools to ‘Prevent’ the young from this type of addiction, rader (sic) then trying to ‘Cure’ the problem when its (sic) too late later in their adult lives.”
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Shelly Steele, a GlobalNews.ca reader who commented on our story over Facebook, said, “Providing incentives for quitting and supporting the users in their battle to quit would be reducing the harm. Providing ways for them to do it “more safely” just further supports the use of the drug which is killing them.”
When a similar program was launched in Nanaimo, B.C., residents expressed similar concerns, but health authorities worked to convince residents the program could be done safely while actually saving the health care system money.
“They (opponents) were concerned and alarmed, in some cases people saw that as the community supporting the proliferation of drugs,” he says. “The reality is something different, of course,” says Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan. “I’ve seen a lot of data that demonstrates what it costs if a person does not receive treatment for their addictions. The problem only exacerbates,” he says.
Some GlobalNews.ca readers agreed with Ruttan’s view of the program.
Responding over Facebook, Danyell Rosenbaum thinks a similar service in her city is working well.
“The city of Nelson is doing that two with ancors (sic). Giving drug users free clean needles and pipes. But also couseling (sic). For those who want to get clean. They also give out free condoms and good cheep birth control they also come around and teach the kids about sex and drugs in schools. I think it is a great service.”
The heated debate promoted more than one hundred readers to leave their comments on Global BC’s Facebook page.
Several respondents were critical of their province’s decision to hand out pipes; among them, some champions of the pilot project.
Melissa E. Portelance wrote, “These centers offer help that people need, gives people the connections they need to the first steps of recovery. It is a long process that does not happen over night (sic).”
Another Facebook reader, Rebecca Boyd said “harm reduction for prevention of communicable disease. that’s a pretty good priority. if we werent (sic) treating HIV+ and HEP C positive people at an alarming rate, our medical system might just get a break.”
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With files from The Canadian Press
Do you think this type of project is good way to help reduce harm associated drug use? Should pipe distribution be part of your city’s drug strategy? Share your thoughts below or comment on our Facebook page.
Here’s a sampling of how the crack pipe debate is playing out over social media.
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