Vancouver Canada has been in the news recently because it’s where the 2010 Winter Olympic Games were held. And, while all of the Olympic coverage was taking place, across town, like many other large cities across Canada as well as the US, there are daily problems with illegal drugs.

Vancouver has come up with an interesting “social experiment” having to do with the illegal use of injection drugs. Addicts line up every morning at a facility called Insite, where they can safely and legally inject their illegal drugs like Heroin, Cocaine, Morphine, etc. Basically, the only requirements for addicts are that they register their name and substance of choice, and that they inject themselves under the supervision of nurses who will provide them with sterile injection equipment.

The basis of this program is harm reduction. Over the seven years that this facility has been in existence, there have been studies done, since it is basically an experiment, that show that it has reduced the number of public injections, overdose fatalities, transmission of blood-borne illnesses like HIV & Hepatitis C and injection related infections. While all of these results are good, you have to wonder what type of message this sends out to the public.

What is lesser known, at least from the information that I’ve read and viewed about this program, is that they do offer the addicts who use the facility a chance to work with drug counselors who can get them to detox and drug rehabilitation programs, which are part of their facility called Onsite.

I can honestly say that this will be a controversial topic, no matter how you look at it. And, whether you agree with the “it’s legal here so just come in and be safe” approach or something else, the bottom line is that what is really needed is for people to be offered good drug rehab solutions.

It’s obvious that pouring resources into legal systems and jails isn’t fixing the problems that have become a worldwide epidemic. And while I don’t fully agree with Vancouver’s edgy and controversial approach, I think it’s noble to have thought outside the box.

Original post created by: Drug Rehab Referral