Several cities in Canada now have programs that provide safe crack pipes to drug users with the aim of curbing diseases like HIV. Programs like this and Canada’s government funded safe-injection sites are being criticized by the United Nations for violating the International Narcotics Control Board that Canada signed onto in 1988. The aim of the safe inhalation and injection sites in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver are to prevent the spread of infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis C. Laurel Ostfield from the Ontario Health Ministers office said, “The evidence shows — and this is evidence that’s supported by the World Health Organization — … that you really can prevent the spread of infectious diseases through safe inhalation or safe injection sites.”

Safe and Legal crack houses are a controversial topic, and for good reason. Having a government sanctioned spot for people to smoke a potent and dangerous drug can lead one to think that the Canadian government is condoning illegal activity. In Canada, crack cocaine is a Schedule 1 substance which holds a maximum possession sentence of 7 years, and a trafficking, production and exportation sentence of up to life. Critics have been arguing that the safe inhalation sites would further encourage crack addicts and would be diverting money from harm reduction and treatment.

The goals of such medically supervised sites would be aiding in the fight against HIV. Drug users, especially people who are addicted to crack, have a higher risk of contracting HIV or Hep C. Dr. Evan Wood of the British Colombia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS studied crack cocaine users in 2007, along with his study of injected drug users. He saw that over time, people who smoked Crack daily had higher chances of contracting HIV. Dr. Wood said in regard to the criticism about the safe site program, “It’s very unfortunate these things get politicized and made more controversial than they need be, but given the costs and challenges of HIV … it’s certainly in our interest to take a public-health approach to these infectious diseases that are already breaking free of their traditional boundaries.”

Crack is inhaled by heating sugar-cube-like blocks of the substance in glass pipes creating smoke. The pipes get scalding hot and can burn the mouths of the users, leading to increased risk for HIV contraction. Government kits include a glass stem with a mouth piece, a metal screen, lip balm and hand wipes.

Inhalation sites could be a gateway to a previously under represented and hidden population. Health and social workers trained in the needs of this population would be distributing the kits; this would allow both parties involved to be addressed. The Health population could engage in addressing health issues, assessing social assistance needs and offering drug counseling and harm reduction education. Inhalation sites already exist in other parts of the world, such as Switzerland, The Netherlands and Germany. Reports from these countries suggest the sites are successful in lowering disease transmission rates.

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Tags: drugs, health, HIV/AIDS

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