Safe-Injection Program Survives Another Shutdown Attempt by Canadian Government

The British Columbia Court of Appeal has rejected a lawsuit from Canada’s Conservative government that sought to shutter Vancouver’s Insight safe-injection program for IV-drug users, the Canwest News Service reported Jan. 16.

Insite was established as a three-year program in 2003 under the previous Liberal administration, but the B.C. Supreme Court later granted the program an extension of its exemption from Canada’s drug laws. This week, the appeals court rejected the current government’s challenge to that decision.

Canada’s federal government is expected to appeal the latest decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.