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Politically Incorrect

Safe Injection Sites

by Arthur Weinreb

January 13, 2003

As it has in the past, there has been talk lately of opening safe injection sites, particularly in the large urban centres of Toronto and Vancouver. These injection sites are places where drug addicts can go to safely inject their drug of choice. The theory behind these facilities are that injecting drugs can be dangerous and lead to the acquiring and spreading of diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. So the state steps in to ensure the little dears use clean needles and inject "safely."

It doesn’t seem to matter that the use of these drugs is a tad on the illegal side. Those who are using safe injection sites will, of course not be charged with possession of these drugs while at the injection sites--that would defeat the entire purpose of having them in the first place. More of a safe house than an injection site. So according to the state, possession of drugs such as heroin would not be illegal if addicts inject, to borrow a phrase from Frank Sinatra, "my way."

By the use of these safe sites, the state is sanctioning behaviour, which, if done in other circumstances, amounts to criminal conduct. Unlike marijuana, there is never any talk of legalizing hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine. But under the guise of "health care" various levels of governments are prepared to allow illegal activity to take place.

Why should the state be concerned about the health of "criminals" who possess and use drugs but not those who commit other crimes? Intravenous drug use is not the only criminal activity that can have adverse effects on a person’s health. For example, a career burglar who spends five or six nights a week breaking into houses and walking out with television sets and VCR’s could easily suffer back and other on-the-job injuries. Why not have a series of safe houses where B&E artists can steal, fully supervised by medical personnel? Violent persons who are always engaged in assaultive behaviour could be given places in which to commit their assaults. One who goes around continually punching someone out is bound, sooner or later, to meet someone who is bigger and stronger or simply luckier. We should build rubber roads where people and provincial premiers who drink and drive can operate their cars in a safe manner. There is no end to the criminal activity that could be made "safe," under the guise of "health care." After all, health care, unlike the general protection of the country’s citizens, is a Canadian value.

Speaking of Canadian values, there is another way to stop the spread of disease that is caused by the sharing of dirty needles that wouldn’t involve criminal activity being sanctioned and would make more sense than opening injection sites. The health problems occur when addicts use or share dirty needles. Since needles are the problem, what this country needs is to require drug users to register their needles. Canada should start up a needle registration centre. Now that gun registration has provided jobs in Mirimichi New Brunswick, the government could create employment in some other economically depressed area. After all, how much could it cost to operate a needle registry? A thousand, a million, a couple of billion? Money is no object when it comes to the health and well being of Canadians. Actually, money is no object when the government does anything in this country. Of course, a lot of drug addicts, will be too busy shooting up to bother to register, but since the fact that criminals never get around to registering their firearms never slowed the feds down, it shouldn’t make any difference. People who require injections of insulin for diabetes will have to register their needles as well, but inconveniencing law-abiding people by requiring them to register will not be a concern to the government--it never has before.

We need a needle registration system in Canada. Where’s Allan Rock when you need him?