A site applauded and reported on at the International AIDS conference in Toronto earlier this month. A conference Clement attended, but he probably missed this workshop.
But the funding for the site only continues until the last day of December 2007, like many other Harpocrite government announcements which end in 2007. Or when they win a majority. When they will shut the site down.
The reason for the limited funding? Well good old Tony gave it in his press release; "Given the need for more facts, I am unable to approve the current request to extend the Vancouver site for another three and a-half years," said Clement.
The need for more facts? Huh? What facts could those be?
Harper has said he would wait for the RCMP report's findings before deciding whether to allow the site to continue with federal approval.Safe injection site should continue, BC criminologists report
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in June 2006 showed drug users who frequented the clinic were more likely to go into detox and other rehabilitation facilities.
Numerous studies have been conducted both by outside researchers and within the Vancouver clinic itself, including a report released last week conducted by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, which found that "three-quarters of Insite users report the facility has positively changed their injecting behaviour."
According to the peer-reviewed studies on the site, drug users complete an average of 600 injections per day at SIS, staff have treated 453 overdoses with no fatalities, more than 4,000 referrals were made to counselling and other support services, and addicts who inject there are more likely to seek detoxification. The facility has also reduced the number of syringes discarded on the street and curbed needle sharing, which puts a user at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis C. Business groups support safe-injection site
Promise made promise not kept.
Why is Clement fudging on full funding for Insite? Well because the facts are that the Conservatives drug policy is the same as that south of the border; just say no to drugs.
Another priority is youth crime prevention. We are working with Minister Day to keep youth at risk from succumbing to the culture of guns, gangs and drugs.Speech for the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada ...
You see its a conflict between what is good for the health of drug victims, and what is good for victims of crime. The Tories look to making policy for the latter not the former. Despite the facts.
Health Minister Tony Clement said he is delaying a decision on whether Vancouver's controversial safe injection site should remain open, as the Canadian Police Association took a strong stance against the program.
And of course the inherent Tory belief in facts like these.....Debate on "reefer madness" resurfaces
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