LETTER: Drug consumption sites are treatment programs

SooToday received the following letter to the editor about supervised drug consumption sites.

During his recent visit to Sault Ste. Marie, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre sketched his vision for reducing the number of opiate-associated deaths in our community. While his intent to re-invest in addiction treatment programs would be most welcome, he appears to misunderstand the fact that supervised consumption sites ARE treatment programs.

Supervised consumption sites are essentially street-level nursing and peer support stations that provide opiate-dependent individuals with antiseptic solutions, clean syringes, instruction and post-injection observation to optimize their safety. These facilities substantially reduce rates of overdose deaths as well as lengthy hospitalizations due to injection-associated infections. Moreover, these facilities offer an effective gateway for hard-core substance users to engage in additional opportunities for support, programming and treatment.

Supervised consumption sites DO NOT give out "free synthetic heroin," methadone or any other opiates for that matter. Clients bring their own supply to the facility. This process can allow for the local monitoring of dangerous drug contaminants that frequently enter the supply chain, thereby contributing to additional hospitalizations and deaths.

To put it bluntly: injection drug use will continue to occur in our community for the foreseeable future. Either we make more effective provisions for this reality or we accept the status quo of dangerous needle use everywhere and needlessly high associated death rates.

Robert Maloney
Goulais Avenue