Free Crack Pipes

That's right, Vancouver is going to join the other cities already doing this, and start providing safe "crack kits" to addicts. Much like a safe injection site offering clean needles, they are offering clean pipes as a harm-reduction method to reduce desease transmission and injury from sharing broken and dirty pipes.

Read more at CBC

They also have a safe-inhalation room set up with an airlock and ventalation, but aren't legally allowed to let it operate yet.

Always such an interesting topic to think about the pros and cons of all the options a city has, and I imagine this sounds like backwards satan worship land to some people out there.

I dont really have a problem with free paraphanelia. Seeing first hand what people will use and do to get them when they don't have them. Didn't know crack pipes were something needed, was thinking more sterile needles. There was a documentary about a guy in Chicago giving needles and the drug that escapes me( the one that blocks the opiate when trying to help someone overdosing.)

Meh. They have spent money are worse/ more worthless things.

GI JOES SON wrote: Lightningbolt wrote: and while we're at it let's hand out fully loaded 1911's to those that are suicide prone.  heck how about a few extra loaded mags as well...... False. Those suicide prone need but one round

True.  Some are poor shots

because junkies care about using clean pipes?

GroupB wrote: because junkies care about using clean pipes?

Not enough of them do apparently. It's not just the pipe itself, its who they are sharing the pipe with.

agentwhale007 wrote: stratoaxe wrote: CBC wrote: It's part of the city's harm-reduction strategy that seeks to reduce the transmission of disease while ensuring health-care and social workers are able to interact with hard-to-reach drug addicts. I was skeptical until I read this, now it makes sense. Same. At first I was curious as to the actual ill-effects of using dirty drug pipes, compared to something like a second-hand syringe. But when you read into it, the program is almost designed more to have access to the addicts to offer help and make sure they're not abused, etc.

Yeah, pretty much. It's a harm reduction program.

jmac3 wrote: I dont really have a problem with free paraphanelia. Seeing first hand what people will use and do to get them when they don't have them. Didn't know crack pipes were something needed, was thinking more sterile needles. There was a documentary about a guy in Chicago giving needles and the drug that escapes me( the one that blocks the opiate when trying to help someone overdosing.)

Yeah, crack pipes are shared something like half of the time, while needles are down to 3% of the time. Those numbers could be wrong, just trying to remember reading the paper on my way to work this morning. Overuse can cause the bulb to explode, or sharing cracked/ chipped glass can cut lips and spread HIV etc.

GI JOES SON wrote: . Would the pipe go back to the city to be redistributed or does it go to the evidence room for good?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they'd be destroyed.

The program was likely set up in such a way that A:) the kits are bought in such a way that they're considered disposable and B:) the local law enforcement are aware of their existence and act accordingly.

Reusing them would definitely defeat the purpose of the program though.

GI JOES SON wrote: stratoaxe wrote: GI JOES SON wrote: . Would the pipe go back to the city to be redistributed or does it go to the evidence room for good? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they'd be destroyed. The program was likely set up in such a way that A:) the kits are bought in such a way that they're considered disposable and B:) the local law enforcement are aware of their existence and act accordingly. Reusing them would definitely defeat the purpose of the program though. I'll admit my argument wasn't the strongest, it just seems like there's room for redundancy in the program. Not to mention what was mentioned earlier, providing the means to do something illegal

No worries, I'd be willing to say the argument behind the program isn't the strongest.

I have mixed feelings about needle exchanges and programs like this. I think it's the natural clash between humanitarian efforts, law enforcement, and city funding.

I think with that in mind it's okay to accept that there's no final answer to this situation. There are several points of view, all are valid and conflict with each other. In the end only time will tell if these programs are effective or detrimental.