Open a Safe Injection Facility in the Durham Region

The goal of safe injection facilities is to reduce the harm to users and the public that is caused by intravenous drug use. Safe injection facilities provide a safe and medically supervised space for users to inject their pre-obtained drugs. Safe injection facilities lessen the amount of needles that are disposed of improperly, provide sterile equiptment for injection, limit risk for contracting blood-bourne illnesses, connect people with treatment options, as well as drastically decrease the amount of fatal overdoses. The mortality rate as a result of drug-related overdose averages at 28 deaths per year in the Durham region alone. In 2003, Canada opened it's first and currently only safe injection facility. Within one year the facility witnessed over 400 overdoses, however not one was fatal due to the medical intervention that is available on site. The opening of a safe injection facility in the Durham Region will help to preserve the life of those who are intravenous drug users as well as the public through properly disposing of needles and less public injection. Please join us in the goal of preserving and protecting life by signing this petition to open Durham's own safe injection facility.

Michelle Sherwin, Morgan Ferry, Hilary Duffin    Contact the author of the petition