Expert says safe injection sites should lead people into rehabilitation

This fall AIDS Saskatoon will be moving to 20th St. West in the former Pleasant Hill Bakery building.

Part of the plan for the new location is the opening of a safe injection site which is expected to be ready to use sometime in 2020.

This plan has generated plenty of discussion, and that includes how police and site organizers will work to keep the area safe.

Rand Teed is a Drug and Alcohol Educator and Certified Addictions Counsellor. He says the original intent of these sites has been to help transition people with substance addictions into rehabilitation centres and detox.

“I think harm reduction has wandered off track a little bit. Initially the harm reduction programs were very intent on helping people as an interim step to move people into detox and into treatment. I think lately they’ve become a little more focused on giving people a safe place to use, and I’m certainly not in favor of people dying,” said Teed.

Teed added, “the situation that exists in this province, is that it’s very difficult to get into detox and treatment. There are wait lists.”

He also said, that if someone needs to use a safe injection site, chances are they don’t have the resources to go out-of-province for treatment.

Teed says it is critical that people with these types of addictions have access to proper medical care and treatment, because trying to get past the addiction is very difficult for most people.

“What we’re asking people to do when we start talking to them about going into detox or going into treatment, is to give up the only thing that makes them feel okay,” said Teed.