Ethics DEBATE:
InSite: A Safe Injection Site
Many Canadian cities are experiencing ongoing infectious disease and overdose epidemics among
injection drug users (IDUs). In particular, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and hepatitis C
Virus (HCV) have become endemic in many settings and bacterial and viral infections, such as
endocarditis and cellulitis, have become extremely common among this population. We are facing a
public health crisis with respect to injection drug use; rates of blood borne infections among drug
users increased during the 1990’s-2000’s at an alarming rate. A large percentage of new HIV
diagnoses were in people who inject drugs. In an effort to reduce these public health concerns and
the public order problems associated with public injection drug use, in September 2003, Vancouver,
Canada opened a pilot medically supervised safer injecting facility (SIF), where users can inject preobtained illicit drugs under the supervision of medical staff. The main objective of a SIF clinic is to
allow drug users to inject in a safe, hygienic, controlled environment rather than in unsafe,
unhygienic, and often public settings.
Insite is North America’s first legal supervised injection site. The BC Ministry of Health Services
(government) provides operational funding for Insite, which operates the facility in conjunction
with PHS Community Services Society. Insite operates on a harm-reduction model, emphasizes
dealing with the problems associated with drug use: which means it strives to decrease the adverse
health, social and economic consequences (transmittance of infectious disease, rate of overdose and
death due to overdose, etc.) of drug use without requiring abstinence from drug use. The emphasis
is on keeping those who choose to use drugs alive and disease-free.
Modified from http://www.aidslaw.ca/publications/interfaces/downloadFile.php?ref=776 and
http://supervisedinjection.vch.ca/
The Nature of the Debate
Some have suggested that establishing safe injection facilities send “the wrong message” and is
unethical – specifically that injection drug use in acceptable in the governments eyes and has official
support.
Others argue that safe injection facilities are a responsible harm-reduction policy that realistically
responds to immediate health risks and dangers (including disease transmission through needle
sharing and preventing fatal overdoses) of IV drug use.
Your goal is to debate this ethical dilemma using the following rules/format.
Rules of the Debate:
1. You MUST be respectful of any and all comments made in today’s debates. Remember, you have
been assigned to a team, this may not be the person’s actual opinions and views.
2. Every single team member must speak. If you do not, you will not receive credit for today.
3. Assign a team captain who is comfortable stepping in and saying what they need to if your team
gets quiet.
Format:
1. Each team will have 2 minutes for their opening statements. YOU may not interrupt during
opening statements.
2. Following opening statements, each team will have 1 minute of rebuttals. We will have rebuttals
back and forth until it is clear we have a winner.
3. Teams will have 1 minute closing statements to say their last peace.
Your Responsibilities as an Individual:
At the end of Wednesday, you will turn in your own paper that has
*10 valuable statements supporting your assigned “view.”
__________/20 points (2 points per statement)
*5 rebuttal statements. A rebuttal statement should include a point the other team may address and
the rebuttal or “comeback” to that point. You must come up with 5 written statements that you
think the other team will come up with and write your argument in response to it.
_________/20 points (4 points per rebuttal/comeback)
* On the day of the debate you are responsible for speaking at least once. Participation in the debate
is critical
_________/10 points
DEBATE TOTAL: _________________/50 points
Establishing safe injection facilities send “the
wrong message” and is unethical
Safe injection facilities are a responsible harmreduction policy that realistically responds to
immediate health risks and dangers