News Release
2003-72
September 15, 2003
For immediate release
Health Canada to fund evaluation component of Vancouver's pilot supervised injection site research project
OTTAWA - On behalf of the federal Minister of Health, Anne McLellan,
the Honourable Hedy Fry, MP for Vancouver Centre, today announced that Health Canada has
granted the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority an exemption under Section 56 of the Controlled
Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) to launch a pilot supervised injection site research
project.
"Injection drug use is a serious public health and social issue. Pilot supervised injection
site research projects represent one approach to reducing the harm associated with injection
drug use," said Dr. Fry. "Evaluating the effectiveness of this strategy and other harm
reduction strategies is a key component of Canada's renewed Drug Strategy. The results
of this evaluation will be carefully assessed and will help inform future decision making."
The goal of the research project is to assess whether supervised injection sites in the
Downtown Eastside of Vancouver will contribute to reducing the harm associated with injection
drug use. Health Canada is providing up to $1.5 million over four years to support the
evaluation component of the pilot research project. Funding for the establishment and administration
of the pilot research project, and the actual supervised injection sites, is the responsibility
of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.
Supervised injection sites have shown some promising results in other countries. However,
sound research is needed to demonstrate their effectiveness in reducing drug overdoses,
needle sharing, public use of drugs and increasing access to medical care and social services.
Health Canada's role in the pilot research project is strictly limited to funding the evaluation
component of the research project to determine whether it will improve the health of drug
users and reduce the harm associated with illicit drug use.
The implementation of the supervised injection site pilot research project in Vancouver
is in keeping with the Vancouver Agreement, a five-year partnership between the Government
of Canada, British Columbia and the City of Vancouver to implement a coordinated strategy
for sustainable social, economic and community development in Vancouver, with the initial
focus on the Downtown Eastside.
Funding for the evaluation component of the pilot project is provided for under Canada's
renewed Drug Strategy, announced by the Government of Canada on May 27, 2003. Canada's
renewed Drug Strategy addresses the underlying factors associated with substance use and
abuse and includes education, treatment, prevention and health promotion initiatives as
well as enhanced enforcement measures.
For more information on substance abuse, or for help in quitting drug use, Canadians should
contact their family doctor or local health authority.
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Media Inquiries:
Jirina Vlk
Health Canada
(613) 957-2988
Farah Mohamed
Office of Anne McLellan
Minister of Health
(613) 957-1694
Public Inquiries:
(613) 957-2991
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