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July 12, 2007

Ottawa City Council chooses NIMBYism over public health

Posted by Ariel Troster at 12:54 PM ET

I can only describe my mood today as "infuriated, but not surprised." Yesterday, Ottawa City Council voted to shut down a crack pipe exchange program, despite the strenuous objections of city health officials and local community workers. This came on the heels of an anti-drug demonstration staged by the Sandy Hill Business Improvement Association, who argued that the program led to increased drug use in Ottawa's touristy Byward Market.

The business owners arrived to a sympathetic audience at city hall. Mayor Larry O'Brien had promised to end the program as part of his municipal election campaign, and yesterday, he teamed up with councillor Rick Chiarelli (and 13 others) to cancel a program that cost a mere $8,000 a year, and had the potential to save a significant number of lives.

Local bloggers are going apeshit about this. Vicky Smallman points out the fact that "Ottawa has an alarmingly high rate of HIV and Hepatitis C infection among Intravenous Drug users - at 21%, it is 9 times greater than Toronto's infection rate." Yep, you heard her right. Nine times higher.

And even through city councillors claimed that there was no evidence to suggest that the program was working, they simply chose to ignore a study that the city itself commissioned last year from epidemiologist Lynne Leonard. The study demonstrates that while the program did lead to an increase in crack smoking, it also radically reduced users' sharing of drug paraphernalia, providing "significant scientific evidence" that the program reduced the harm associated with crack smoking.

As Adam Graham from the AIDS Committee of Ottawa explains, pipe and needle exchange programs also act as a first point of contact between users and health professionals, allowing them to access health services, therefore increasing the likelihood that they'll also seek out addiction counselling. In the case of crack smoking, a program like this prevents people from using burning metal pipes and cans, which cause open sores, and lead to HIV and hepatitis transmission.

But of course, these rational, health-based, scientifically-proven arguments mean nothing to bunch of city councillors who are more concerned about the "messaging" associated with handing out crack pipes. They've chosen to protect knee-jerk sensibilities over people's lives. It's simply shameful.

Still, local activists haven't given up the fight. The AIDS Committee of Ottawa announced that it would continue the program, even without city funding. And the new Ottawa Police chief has urged the city to conduct another study before burying the program for good.

Let's hope that city council smartens up, and chooses to listen to the facts. I'm not holding my breath.

-- Cross posted to Dykes vs. Harper

More entries on: Harm reduction

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Reader comments:

Piffle. Exchange programs encourage drug use, other forms of illegal behaviour, fuels terrorism... pick one.

It should be a moral dilemma, not a practical one. Practically speaking, yes, it may reduce HIV and Hep infections, but since I'm not a drug user, it's unlikely to afflict me. Those it does afflict, well it's there own damned fault, isn't
it?

From a moral standpoint, you and your ilk are encouraging damaging and harmful behaviours, affecting both users and society at large.

As a society, the cost of treatment is one we must bear, I suppose.

As a society

Posted by: Teddy at July 12, 2007 10:49 PM

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Wow, Teddy. Your comment displays the inhumanity that Ottawa City Council displayed this week. I have trouble believing that your are *seriously* arguing that because you're not a drug user, you shouldn't care about disease prevention amongst drug users.

Well, fine. How about the cold, hard economic argument? Harm reduction costs pennies. Treating HIV and Hep C costs hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But when when you choose a "moral argument" over any rational, scientifically proven evidence, well there's no arguing with you, is there?

Posted by: Ariel at July 13, 2007 09:53 AM

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I care only insomuch that I, as a taxpayer, have to pay to pick up the pieces. Let me be clear on this: I care not much at all if someone chooses to kill themselves. Suicide is not illegal, as such. These people are choosing to do it to themselves.

Yes, provide a way to rehabilitate. As a society, we owe it to ourselves not to give up. To always provide a way out of destructive behaviours.

But when a society makes the decision to enable such behaviours, then I (and many others, it would seem) then we are making a moral decision that the ends justify the means.

Where else do they do so in your mind, Ariel?

Harsh, isn't it, this evolution thing?

Posted by: Teddy at July 13, 2007 01:40 PM

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Teddy, when you say "I care only insomuch that I, as a taxpayer, have to pay to pick up the pieces," you're leaving out a huge piece of the equation. A crack kit costs about $2; treating someone with HIV costs about $500,000. As a taxpayer, I think you'd do far better to invest in preventing or slowing the spread of HIV and hepatitis.

And that's not even looking at the human side of the equation. I think just about every drug addict has someone who loves them and who hopes they stay alive long enough to quit.

Posted by: zoom at July 13, 2007 02:29 PM

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Nicholas Little from the AIDS Committee of Ottawa just wrote a fantastic column about this on Xtra.ca. Check it out.

Posted by: Ariel at July 13, 2007 02:37 PM

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wow is all that I can say. moral relativism gets you pretty far these days.

think this though, tho... you ar directly supporting drug use, and all of the costs that entails.

further, you are directly funding gloabal terror in such places as Colombia and Afghanistan.

that's got to make you all feel pretty good.

Posted by: jonovision at July 13, 2007 04:04 PM

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Thanks for this piece, Ariel. Needle and pipe exchange programs save lives on every level and only make things better, not worse, for everyone. I'm not sure what planet these commenters live on.

Posted by: shawn at July 18, 2007 09:41 PM

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