Landmark study: Overdose deaths down 35 per cent after the opening of Insite

In the first peer reviewed study to assess the impact of supervised injection sites on overdose mortality, researchers at the Urban Health Research Initiative (UHRI), a program of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC‐CfE), observed a 35 per cent reduction in overdose deaths in the immediate vicinity of Insite following its opening in September 2003. By contrast, overdose deaths in the rest of Vancouver declined only nine per cent over the same period. No overdose deaths have been recorded at Insite since the facility’s opening.

“This study clearly demonstrates that supervised injection facilities such as Insite are saving lives and playing a vital role in reducing the harms associated with illicit drug use,” said co‐author Dr. Julio Montaner, director of the BC‐CfE and Chair in AIDS Research in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC). “It’s time for the federal government to recognize the overwhelming scientific evidence in support of supervised injection sites, halt its legal maneuvering to close Insite, and allow facilities such as Insite to open in other Canadian cities.”

The researchers reviewed nearly 300 case reports from the British Columbia Coroners Service documenting all illicit drug overdose deaths in Vancouver between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2005. Deaths were sorted geographically into two categories: those occurring within 500 metres of Insite and those occurring elsewhere in the city. Overdose mortality rates were then calculated for each category in the periods before and after Insite’s opening.

The Lancet article can be downloaded here.

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