Insite
‘Insite’ is a facility set in the heart of Vancouver’s infamous Downtown Eastside district. It is a place whereby intravenous drug users can enter with their illegal substances and inject themselves legally in sterile conditions and under the supervision of nurses, counsellors and local peers. The aims of Insite are to prevent public drug use and the spreading of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS through shared and dirty needles. This modern medical approach is known as ‘harm reduction’ and although sites of this nature have existed for more than a decade in parts of Europe, it is the only one of its kind in North America. As such, the site has always been under pressure to close, particularly from the USA with its ‘war on drugs’ approach not supporting tolerance of any kind. The realities are, however, that people will continue to partake in intravenous drugs and the focus on damage limitation is both healthy and realistic.