Canada has turned a new page in the intravenous drug addiction world by hosting a government-sanctioned facility which promotes the “safe” use of needles for those who suffer from heroin addiction. The purpose of this facility, according to government officials, is to provide a safe environment in which heroin and other intravenous drug addicts can have access to clean needles. A simultaneous, secondary purpose for the facility is to provide quicker, more effective support in the case of accidental overdose of addictive substances.
Insite, as the facility is named, provides a clean environment, as well as clean needles, to those with heroin addiction. These individuals are able to come to the facility to inject themselves with their own drugs under the advisory of a staff of nurses trained to deal with overdose situations. Since the introduction of Insite, studies show that the incidence of overdose has decreased by 35 percent in an area that houses one of Canada’s highest rates of heroin addiction.
Along with the amount of fatal overdoses that occur as a result of heroin addiction, the center also serves to decrease many of the problems that arise due to the use of contaminated needles, a common issue, especially among more impoverished drug-laden neighborhoods. Use of contaminated needles and sharing needles with others with heroin addiction can lead to a host of life-threatening problems, most notably blood-borne diseases like HIV and AIDS, as well as Hepatitis B and C. Unfortunately, most people who suffer from heroin addiction do not have the resources for proper medical care and will continue to share contaminated needles with other drug users, further spreading these diseases. This could potentially lead to an HIV or Hepatitis pandemic, threatening the lives of a large population of people, in addition to their use of heroin. Facilities such as Insite hope to decrease, or possibly eliminate, problems such as these in the neighborhoods notorious for heroin addiction and contaminated needle use.
Contact Vista Taos Addiction Center today for information on the different programs available to help you or your loved one battle heroin addiction. Vista Taos is a renewal center, located in Taos, New Mexico. Focusing on more than simple drug and alcohol addiction techniques, this beautiful rehabilitation center is just a short drive from Santa Fe, New Mexico and easily accessible from parts of western Oklahoma and Texas.
