Last fall a handful of progressive states in our country were wrestling with a hot topic debate that would instigate controversy on the issue of drugs.  No doubt the legalization of marijuana in our country has been an issue many hippies and music festival attendees have been supporting since the ’60s, but gaining momentum to overturn federal law on this issue has not been as easy.
  A Gallop poll taken every October has shown that 2012 yielded the highest support toward legalization since 1969 with close to half of Americans in support.  Who’s to say the lethargic effects of this plant have procrastinated the progress of passing this law? Some would argue that, like same-sex marriage, you cannot stop an idea whose time has come. Americans struggle to agree on the legalization of marijuana, while our maple-leaf neighbors to the north are facing a much larger issue. 
  Although marijuana is not yet legal in places such as Vancouver, you probably won’t be arrested for “catching one” in public – just don’t harvest and distribute and you should be off of law enforcement’s radar.  Right now, Vancouverians are turning their attention to hard drugs. A program called Insite acts as a legal, supervised injection site that works in cooperation with Vancouver Coastal Health in the heart of downtown eastside Vancouver.  Yes, a legal injection site.
  Insite encourages users to take advantage of their facilities and staff to allow proper injection methods, clean needles and even referrals to addiction therapy if needed.  Insite does not supply users with drugs but will assist them in catching their high on heroin, meth, cocaine and morphine.  Upon its inception in the early 2000s, Insite has been operating on a government exemption for research purposes.  So far, this exemption is under review as the data comes forth.
  Again, as Americans are dealing with whether or not marijuana should be legalized (even medicinally), you can professionally shoot up in Canada. At first I had a hard time believing a program like this could even exist, but in keeping an open mind, I saw some very good points. 
   One positive effect is that Vancouver has seen a decline in the number of reported cases of HIV due to the use of clean needles.  According to their research, since Insite sees an average of 855 users daily, there has been a sharp decline in the sharing of infected needles, thus a reduction in HIV.  Also, with the help of professionals and since most visitors are homeless, users receive proper injection methods and a reduction in overdosing. 
    One of the most promising silver linings to this program is the easy access to recovery that the users now have. Users have access to detox programs, health services and addiction therapy.  Anyone who has ever made a bad decision (and come to the realization during that moment) has no doubt wished for a helping hand – this is a part of Insite’s objective. In 2010, Insite referred 458 users to addiction programs with a 43 percent completion rate.  To put that number into perspective that is five percent more than the four-year graduation rate at the University of Alabama.
   An obvious and sensible analogy to Insite is parents allowing their kids to illegally drink under their roof rather than at a friend’s house.  Of course, this gives exposure to an addictive substance, but I feel that by allowing people to make their own decisions, we aren’t detracting from human liberty.
    I am a believer that part of our jobs as humans is to supplant all desire to judge with service and love for everyone.  For this same reason, I believe it would be better for non-profit and religious organizations to support Insite to service those that need it regardless of its actions.  I don’t necessarily feel it right for the government to get its noses into the operation of programs like Insite, but I do applaud the Canadian government for their ability to think outside of the box to see a different perspective on the tough issue of drug use and control.  With time, data could be released that shows Insite not to be an effective program after all, but allowing a new approach opens the door to more solutions.