Insite Human Rights

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Anna ParkscottEnglish 1110 November 28, 2011 Insite Is a Human Right Infection, disease, abscess, overdose and death are just a few of the nightmares intravenous drug users face every day in their lives on the street. They not only face physical harm but also a harsh stigmatism generated by the larger population. Along with fear and rejection, abuse in all forms and cruel judgement, this stigmatism instigates and encourages further drug use and weighs heavily on the users identity. Due to the Canadian Governments conditional allowance, a facility for intravenous drug users was opened in 2003 on the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. Insite is a supervised safer injection site where addicts can go and inject previously purchased drugs with clean…show more content…
This point is not to be discarded because conformity and enforcement of law is important to our countries structure, yet when weighing the benefits of allowing such sites, it is clear that Canada would prosper from making the allowance province wide. By examining the benefits of safer injection sites, the desperate need for more facilities such as Insite is clearly evident. Benefits regarding reduced rates of crime, HIV/ AIDS, hepatitis C and overdose fatality shed a blanket of positive light upon these facilities that is hard to ignore. Attention has been brought to the topic of criminal activity surrounding SIFs (safer injecting facility) and Insite in particular. Critics in the past, prior to the opening of Insite, were worried that the opening of a facility that allowed drug use would inevitably attract drug-related crime. These assumptions presented a valid downside to the site, yet in many studies they were proven to be irrelevant. According to a study that was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, which looked at the correlation between Insite and drug-related crime, the authors conclude that, “All measures of public…show more content…
At Insite IDU must inject their own drugs and cannot be aided in the physical act of injection. Verbal guidance and some preliminary physical assistance is allowed which most IDU find helpful, however, the IDU that participated in the previous study conclude that; “…the rule against assisted injection at the SIF [is] a significant barrier to accessing health care, and therefore this policy should be re-evaluated” (6). Besides prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS and HCV, Insite works hard to educate as many IDU as they can on safe injection. Education is a vital part of the services Insite offers and it should be given the same attention and dedication as prevention is given. This education should not only be limited to the patrons inside the safe injection facilities, but spread through word of mouth on the street. Encouragement to use needle exchange programs and SIFs should also be promoted outside of the facilities through professionals and other IDU. Through education and prevention, Insite continues to aid in reducing the risks of contracting and spreading of diseases. Insite has also been proven to show reduced rates of fatal overdose in the Downtown Eastside. Having professional medical staff ready to attend to
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