Vancouver drug control strategy calls for free crack pipes

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The city of Vancouver is set to launch a novel approach to drug control by giving away free crack pipes in hopes of better connecting drug addicts with health workers, according to the Canadian Press.

People addicted to crack-cocaine typically smoke it out of glass tubes, which can sometimes be hard to come by. The program aims at reducing the risk of HIV and hepatitis among crack users, which tends to be elevated thanks to shared pipes.

The city's health authority already offers free mouthpieces, but they're seen as less effective at harm reduction because they're difficult to remove.

The program closely mirrors a needle exchange program the city has set up. Drug reform advocates there are also pushing for a safe injection zone that would give heroin addicts a place they can go to dose themselves, where health workers are on site to provide clean medical supplies and respond to overdoses.

A safe inhalation zone, where crack addicts could come for similar services, was also being considered.


Source:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/08/01/vancouver-drug-control-strategy-calls-for-free-crack-pipes/

Viva la Canada
 
People will still share pipes because the residue can be scraped and smoked over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Ever run out of rock? That tube is getting scoured clean.
 
Seems a little strange, since the risks associated with sharing pipes aren't anywhere near as severe as those with sharing needles, but I don't think it could do any harm, and if nothing else then like the article says, it could help to bring street addicts into contact with health services.
 
Since when does sharing saliva spread HIV? Some forms of Hep, yeah, but not fucking HIV. The risks associated with sharing pipes is not nearly that of sharing needles. Anyway, IME, large portions of Vancouver are already safe-injection/safe-inhalation sites. I like the idea of specifying areas for drug use because right now people just hit the rock or shoot up on the fucking sidewalk, or sometimes in the middle of the street. I'd like to be able to visit Vancouver without seeing blatant public hard drug use just outside the hotel at all hours of the day and night. Right now they have a lot of programs for addicts, but not enough is done to get them off the street and clean them up. They go around handing out food and water and free needles and all kinds of shit to addicts that just enables their lifestyle, and doesn't do much to benefit or rehabilitate them. I like to see drug addiction handled as a public health and safety issue rather than a criminal issue, but so far Vancouver has been fucking it up pretty hard.
 
^I'm curious to see what your idea of handling it as a public health and safety issue is. The whole tricky part of treating it that way is that everything has to be VOLUNTARY, or else you're right back in the area of treating it as a criminal issue. It stated in the article that the goal of this whole thing was to get them into contact with health workers - that would be the obvious first step in any treatment that goes beyond handouts and into rehabilitation, wouldn't it?
 
artic said:
Since when does sharing saliva spread HIV?
Click to expand...

sharing saliva can spread HIV...its hard, but possible.

The other thing you have to consider though is alot of crack users will hold onto a pipe that might have gotten broken, thus leading to pricked fingers, lips, tongues....also, one of the side effects of smoking crack is your lips tend to become burned and chapped, which leads to splitting, which leads to blood...and blood can definitely transmit HIV, even if its just through contact with saliva.

also, i think part of the point wasnt that pipe exchange would stop HIV and Hep, but that it would put users into closer contact with health workers. Remember, many people who smoke crack also do other drugs (particularly heroin) and many also engage in unsafe acts to get their crack (ie the famous "crack whore") both of which can spread HIV and Hep

the risks are less than with needles, but not nonexistent
 
^^Good points, both of you

Health care workers are already working directly with addicts in Vancouver (including crack), so I really don't see how this lets them work closer with them. They already go around every day handing out food and water and giving them free medical aid and shit. I guess it makes sense for the reasons stated by rincewind to get them clean pipes, but I honestly don't think it is going to make much of a difference. If people don't want to change there is nothing you can really do for them. Maybe they should start enforcing laws about public drug use instead. As long as they aren't getting high in the middle of the street or where I'm trying to walk I couldn't care less what they do to themselves. I have run out of patience with these fucking fiends who fill up the damn streets though, personally.
 
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From what I've heard the crack pipes come in a little fun kit that comes with some brillo pad, saline, condoms, shit like that. It's really more of a little harm reduction parcel designed for people who like to smoke rocks and fuck each other, rather than people just handing out 2 inch pieces of glass tubing.

Downtown Vancouver has so many outreach programs it's not funny. The problem has been beaten back to about 4 square blocks, but as mentioned above, a lot of people simply don't want to change and are perfectly happy to smoke rocks in alleyways all day. Throwing $billions more into the problem isn't going to help, but at least this program is doing something practical aside from funding "committees" that are just rich white folk who complain a lot.
 
They already give crack pipes away for free at the needle exchange place in my city on the other coast of Canada. They give you the plastic mouthpieces with them as well and they aren't that hard to remove at all really unless you really jam it on there. They also give away free micron filters which i thought was awesome since they charged for everything at a Ontario one i was at.
 
Yeah I actually used to volunteer at a needle exchange. We didn't give out crack pipes, but we had the mouth pieces. I got the impression that no one used them though. We also didn't give out brillo, just clean water and cookers. Anyway, these resources are widely available in the US as well, for anyone who cares to look for them. Most addicts really couldn't care less, IME.
 
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