VANCOUVER - A review in Monday's Canadian Medical Association Journal suggests the federal government should give up its Supreme Court of Canada challenge around Vancouver's safe injection site.
The review, by Peel Associate Medical Officer Dr. Kathleen Dooling and University of Toronto professor Dr. Michael Rachlis, says the medically-supervised injection site reduces needle sharing, cuts overdose deaths and allows for addiction treatment.
The B.C. Supreme Court and B.C.'s Appeal Court have ruled in favour of keeping the so-called Insite safe injection site operating with federal government money.
But the federal government is appealing those rulings and the Supreme Court of Canada has said it will hear arguments on the issue by this fall or winter.
The reviewers say Health Minister Tony Clement claimed the injection sight diverts valuable dollars away from health care, when their study found the site is often used for counselling and wound care, and the cost is well below the government estimate of $14 per injection.
The review says the high court's ruling will not only have ramifications across Canada, but will likely have an impact in the United States, which has taken an active role in debating Canadian drug issues.
