"Health & Medical News"

Canada’s conservative government has given a Vancouver safe heroin-injection site a six-month lease on life, but the decision is being criticized by supporters of the Insite program, the Victoria Times-Colonist reported Oct. 3.

The program’s exemption from Canada’s drug laws was extended until June 2008 by Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement, but backers of the harm-reduction program called the move a delaying tactic to push the issue past a federal election.

“If Prime Minister [Stephen] Harper really believed that Insite is a useful tool in treating addictions, he would have extended the program for years, not months,” said Keith Martin, a member of the Canadian parliament from the Vancouver area.

Some observers say the short extension makes sense if Clement wants to review the results of an upcoming independent study of Insite before making a final decision on the project. Other cities, like Victoria, are also interested in establishing safe-injection sites and are awaiting the federal government’s decision on the Vancouver program.

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