Fear Obstacle to Safe Injection Sites

At the recent 21st annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research, experts said fear of drug users is to blame for the lack of a supervised injection site in downtown Montreal.

In September, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Insite, Vancouver’s injection site, could not be closed because doing so would jeopardize the health of its clients.

Montreal’s public health department released a study in December calling for three sites and a mobile unit there. Yves Bolduc, Quebec’s health minister, has registered his support of the plan, while University of Toronto researchers have recommended two sites in Ottawa and three in Toronto. Gerald Tremblay, Montreal’s mayor, has said any injection site must be located in an existing medical facility outside downtown.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

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