Debates discussion

This must be a Canadian thing, I know nothing about it.

Yes there are some in Canada I don’t know about the US.

Also I think they are a great idea.

Why are they a good idea?

Well it lowers the deaths by overdoses and the spread of infection by giving out clean needles.

You don’t think it’s encouraging it? And who’s paying for the supplies for the druggies?

I mean the US does the same thing, it hands out crack pipes and heroine needles. Taxpayer money well spent.

I don’t think it is encouraging it. It is giving addicts a place to use safely. And the sites are run by the government but the users bring their own drugs. I also don’t think drugs should be illegal.

I heard about that too. Yup, we’re totally not getting screwed.

Handing out needles like candy is only going to make it worse. And the fact that it’s now legal for them to inject themselves. What are they gonna do if a 15 year old walks in? 14? 13? Are they gonna help the kid get addicted?

Their not “handing needles out like candy” you bring your drugs there and they give you a clean needle to use there at the site so that you have a lower risk of infection. The sites are solely meant to be a safe space for addicts to use safely because that is better than them use a dirty needle that 5 people have used.

It’s not a better idea to help them get out of addiction?

You can’t force someone to get out of addiction they will try if they want to. One of the first steps to helping with addiction on the large scale would be to decriminalize drugs and or instead of putting people in prison on drug related charges bring them to a rehab centre.

Why would making drugs legal help? That would just make it easier and cheaper for them.

I agree with them going to a rehab center, unless they committed some other crime.

I actually just finished rereading a book that discusses this topic, and what the author found was that giving clean needles out lowered the rates of HIV and deadly infections by a lot. It’s actually less of a burden on the taxpayer to give out free needles then to provide healthcare treatment for addicts’ infections. It is kinda counterintuitive, but if people want to do drugs they’re going to do drugs. Unless they want to quit (which, as far as I’ve heard, is living hell for like a month during withdrawals), giving out clean and free needles to prevent infection and death makes economic and medical sense.

I think what the problem with giving out needles is that it feeds their addiction. It’s not helping the addicts get off of drugs, but encouraging it.

There are programs for quitting drugs, but preventing illnesses like HIV through needles helps until addicts are willing to make that step. Additionally, injection sites have become places where addicts can build rapport and relationships with the needle providers, therefore paving the way for trust in a drug recovery relationship.

And the programs available for addicts have limited space and are a further economic burden on the healthcare system. Needles are less than a dollar each, in contrast to the thousands the healthcare system spends on treating the infections of addicts who don’t want to quit.

Is this like a site where drugs are legal? And tbh, as much as I think they should be legal, it makes sense.

I saw this thing where two children were craving chocolate and would always ask their mum for chocolate. So she would leave some on the side for her kids to help themselves whenever they wanted. They then had a few pieces every so often and soon weren't craving it anymore. So giving the druggies a place to fix the craving would actually reduce the amount they'd do. But still. All drugs should be illegal

I still think drugs should be legal. This is not the only reason but, some people only do drugs cause they are illegal or taboo. And criminalizing addicts is horrible because they are just sick people who need help.

But the drugs themselves are harmful and can kill you. That's why addicts get professional help to quit

Driving in cars can be harmful and kill you. Eating food can be harmful and kill you. Pretty much everything you do has at least a small chance of being harmful and killing you.

Instead of shamming and imprisoning addicts we should provide them with professional help. But an addicts are only going to quit with they want to the same goes for any other addiction to. Also imprisoning them won’t make them quit you can get drugs in prison and they will just keep doing it once they are free again.

But they do get professional help if they seek it.

And yes cars CAN kill you, but drugs DO. They decrease your health

But it still shouldn’t be criminalized we don’t criminalize any other illness so why this one.

In response to Katie, injection sites aren’t places where drugs are legal. They’re places where addicts can get free needles to lower rates of needle reuse and possible infections. They might also have drug recovery services, showers, or other amenities to help the addicted.