Safe injection controversial

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Safe injection services in Kelowna continue to be a controversial issue.

Interior Health has been exploring the possibility of offering safe consumption services for users to take drugs in a safer, controlled setting.

This comes on the heels of B.C.’s health minister declaring a state of emergency over overdose deaths in B.C. in 2016.

Castanet’s weekend poll, which surveyed more than 6,300 people, found 50.1 per cent of respondents don’t want a safe injection site in Kelowna, while 43 per cent think Kelowna should have a site.

Another 4.4 per cent said they weren’t sure, while 2.4 per cent simply did not care.

Both sides were represented in the comments on the issue.

“The facts are clear,” wrote ‘Gordie G’ in the comments section. “These sites work. It's about saving lives and helping people improve their circumstances … How many of you people disagreeing with this as a viable option have actually researched the topic before coming on here and complaining?”

Insite, a safe injection service in Vancouver, has been operating since 2003, and has widely been considered a success in the medical community.

“Insite has saved hundreds of lives,” write ‘Atomoa’ in the forums. “In the 10 years it's been open, it's had two million visits and zero overdose deaths … We need injection sites in every Canadian city where there is an IV drug problem.”

Other people had different ideas on how to solve the drug problem.

“Why not regulate drugs, take profits away from criminals, use those profits as well as money saved from fighting failed war on drugs to help fund harm reduction approaches such as safe injection sites and helping addicts,” wrote ‘Liam Haddock.’

“Far better than throwing money away on failed war on drugs, doing little to reduce harms of drugs on the users or the community, don't you think?”

A medical health officer with Interior Health says if IH does proceed with applying to offer these services, the application process is still months away.