@ www.theotherpress.ca

 

An insight to Insite: we need
more safe injection sites

By Matthew Visser

lright ladies and gentlemen,
A“ had just about enough

of this. How are some
people still against the idea of
opening another Insite supervised
injection location? I’ve done
some research into the homeless
and drug addiction issues facing
Vancouver, and I’ve come to the
conclusion that with help from the
people and our local government,
we can make a difference.

Insite is a help centre where
people with addictions can go
and receive monitored medical
attention when injecting drugs.
They also make sure to safely
dispose of the needles and any
other instruments used.

To me, another Insite location
in Vancouver is not only a
great idea, but a necessary one.
Vancouver has an estimated 5,000
drug users in the Downtown
Eastside and a supposed 2,000
more around the city. The idea that
some people think that Insite is
failing or is not needed in our city
is absurd. With more safe injection
sites, there will be less needles and
other instruments on our streets,
along with less people shooting up
in public.

Mark Townsend of the
Portland Hotel Society (PHS),
which operates North America’s
first supervised injection site,
has said that with more than
12,000 registered users and 800
injections a day, the initial location
on the Hastings Street corridor is
becoming overcrowded. To me this
is a great thing because Insite is
achieving what it was meant to do:
ensure that people have a safe and
hygienic place to inject their drugs
and maybe even help them choose
to kick their addiction. But some
people don’t think this program is

working and want it shut down.
So why is it that professionals like
Townsend say there is need for
facilities like this?

Many drug needle users are
HIV positive or have contracted
Hepatitis from sharing needles.
This can lead to ulcers, which then
runs the risk of septicemia, or
blood poisoning. This often results
in hospitalization. How can this be
good for the province in the long
run? These people are going to be
using up beds, medical attention
from doctors and nurses, and
ultimately the tax payers’ money.
While programs like Insite also
use tax revenue to operate on, they
also have the potential to help
rehabilitate users.

Another point worth
mentioning is the copious amounts
of needle found on the streets in
the Downtown Eastside. Used
needles can be picked up by other
users who have no choice but to
use them, but also are a danger to
children and young teenagers who
might not know the risks of coming
into contact with them.

I can’t imagine what it must
feel like to lose yourself to drugs,
but Insite gives addicts the chance
to get their lives back, even if it’s
through a slow process. I’ve seen
someone shoot up before and I’ve
also seen someone have a seizure
from overdosing. Neither are
something I want to see again and
I hope more drug users start to
utilize Insite to help them get clean
and then get off the streets.

So screw the idea of Insite
being a waste of taxpayer dollars—
seeing as how there are far worse
things we could be spending them
on. A city like Vancouver needs
programs like Insite, and I say the
more the merrier.

 

 

Opinions
Bus passes; would-be
passenger ignored

Dictator-like bus drivers are a dime a dozen

By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer

dark foreboding day lay
ahead of me, acting as a
rime example of real-life

foreshadowing. I should have
known from the instant I set foot
out my front door that there was
to be a terrible tragedy to come.

 

Shock, dismay, and then finally,
anger, were the emotions felt
following my abandonment. Left
with no alternative, I began jogging
to the next stop, almost 10 minutes
away, to catch a different bus that
might possibly get me to class on
time. For the record, I did make it,
but every article of clothing on my

“Many buses seem to have a penchant for arriving either late or early, and, in
any case, deserting those who might even remotely slow down their route.”

Nay, not a tragedy, but a horrible
betrayal. By the time you read
this, my tale of woe will be over a
week old and vastly blown out of
proportion, but there will still be
more than a few fleeting, partially
true, memories that cling to me.

I had risen from an all-too-brief
slumber that day with an oddly
cheery demeanour. What little
classwork I had was miraculously
already finished, and the steady
patter on the skylight served notice
to a considerable rain. It was all
set to be a good day. However,
someone had different thoughts on
the matter.

As | made my way out of the
house and into the rapidly flooding
street—a full five minutes early
for my bus, mind you—I thought
that I heard the faint sounds
of an approaching TransLink
vehicle. Not even stopping to put
up my umbrella, I sprinted full-
tilt down what could legally be
classified as a river. Bullets of water
streaked by me while the sounds
of the oncoming public transport
increased in volume. I made it to
the end of the street, sure I was in
the clear. The bus had just pulled
up to the stop not 20 yards ahead
of me. I gave it my all and pushed
towards the finish. But it was then
that my heart sank. The bus pulled
away when I was almost within
spitting distance.

person became completely soaked
along the way.

While extremely unfortunate,
this story is by no means unique.
Many buses seem to have a
penchant for arriving either late or
early, and, in any case, deserting
those who might even remotely
slow down their route. These
events certainly cause one to be
cynical. What part of “public
transport” am I misunderstanding?
Last I checked, the service is
paid for by taxpayer money, our
money. In addition to this, there are
ridiculously high fees (the U-Pass
makes it bearable for the lucky
ones) that passengers have to pay
in order to utilize the services.
Despite all of this, drivers appear to
believe their time is more important
than the public’s. Anything to get a
few more minutes break time at the
other end, eh?

But perhaps I have misplaced
my resentment. Maybe those
massive side-mirrors are defective
or very difficult to see clearly in.
Possibly every instance in which
I have been left out in the cold
has had a valid reason; a public
official late for a peace conference
mayhap? Perhaps they run the risk
of stalling the bus if it sits for too
long?

There are those behind the wheel
who seem to enjoy abusing their
power. Way to be guys. Way. To. Be.

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