Safe injection drug site in Nanaimo being discussed
NANAIMO — A safe injection drug site could be established in Nanaimo, according to the medical health officer for central Vancouver Island.
Dr. Paul Hasselback strongly endorses the harm reduction strategy. He stresses that the process of possibly setting up a safe drug injection service in Nanaimo is in the early stages.
“We’re having conversations at the city level and that will continue over the next few months, that will be a transparent process, it’s just starting at this point in time,” said Hasselback.
Statistics released by the BC Coroners Service on Wednesday show that 20 of 23 drug overdose deaths in Nanaimo this year through the end of October had links to fentanyl. The number of deaths year-to-date in 2016 is the most since 2007. There were only 28 deaths coming between 2007 and 2012, according to the Coroner. Fentanyl has been tied to about 60 per cent of the 622 overdose deaths in B.C. so far this year, according to the Coroners Service.