In September 2003 a safe injection site was opened in Vancouver, British Columbia, the first of its kind in North America. Its goal was “stop disease, it’s to stop overdose deaths and it’s to stop public drug use,” as Anne Livingstone of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users said when it opened. The area of Vancouver in which it opened, the Downtown Eastside, has rampant drug use and epidemic levels of HIV and hepatitis C. Some 4500 IV drug users live in the 12-block area that the Downtown Eastside makes up.

Then-mayor Philip Owen pushed for the site, and current mayor Larry Campbell continues to promote it, not only in Vancouver but all over the province. Campbell doesn’t seem to emphasize its use for stopping drug abuse, focussing on trying to help people who are addicted. “It’s a brave city that accepts what we’re trying to do. It demonstrates the compassion and caring of its citizens,” he said. “I would love someone to tell me we’re not going to keep 10 people from becoming HIV-positive.”

There were some critics of the site, mostly from south of the border. John Walters of the White House Office of National Drug Control Police said that “the cost that’s going to be paid… is more are going to die and are going to suffer in their lives that don’t need to.” Jennifer Devallance, a spokeswoman for the same office, said, “the only way to reduce the suffering of addiction is to treat it, not encourage it — which is what the safe injection sites do.”

Two interesting studies of the site seem to be saying that the goals of the site are being met. The first, released on 28 September 2004 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal shows that public injection and disposal of used paraphenelia decreased after the site was opened. This one looks like a bit of a no-brainer — if you give addicts somewhere safe and clean to shoot up they’re not going to do it in the streets. And since they can dispose of syringes and other items right there in the clinic, the streets and disposal boxes are going to be used less frequently.

The second study, released in the 19 March 2005 issue of The Lancet shows that shared needle use has dropped since the opening of the safe injection site. Again, it’s a bit of a no-brainer because addicts aren’t keeping syringes for multiple use, and thus they can’t share them if one of their friends needs a hit. Decreasing the numbers of shared needles means decreasing the infection rate, helping to slow the spread of HIV and hepatitis C in Vancouver.

The site has also helped addicts having accidental overdoses. Between 10 March and 31 August 2004 there were 107 overdoses at the site. CPR was required in only one instance, and there have been no deaths at the site.

In the six months from March to September 2004, 262 referrals to addiction counselling services and 78 referrals to withdrawal management programs (such as detox) were made. At least one client weekly was referred to methadone maintenance treatment.

Judging from these results it looks like the safe injection site is setting out to achieve all it wanted. Addicts aren’t shooting up in the streets, they’re getting some much-needed help, and some are potentially getting off drugs. If that’s not a success then I don’t know what is. And the site has another couple of years to go in its four-year trial period — two more years of success.

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