Study Finds Medically Supervised ‘Safer Injecting Facility’ Reduces Fatal Overdoses

A government-sanctioned facility in Canada that medically supervises the injection of illegal drugs has reduced fatal overdoses, according to a new study in the journal The Lancet. The researchers say their findings indicate the facility should be used as a model in other areas where illegal drug use is prevalent.

The facility, called Insite, provides clean needles to heroin and cocaine users, who inject themselves with their own drugs while they are supervised by a nurse, Reuters reports. The study found that Insite reduced drug overdose deaths by 35 percent in a neighborhood that has one of Canada’s highest rates of drug addiction.

Insite is funded by the province of British Columbia. Reuters notes that Canada’s Supreme Court is preparing to hear a lawsuit over the Canadian government’s attempt to close Insite. Critics of the facility argue that it promotes illegal drug use. The article adds that local health officials and police want to keep it open.