Expert says political courage needed to open safe injection sites in Manitoba
WINNIPEG — One of the country’s leading experts says Manitoba needs to find the political will to bring in safe injection sites.
Dr. M.J. Milloy says multiple studies have shown safe consumption sites prevent overdoses, stop the spread of HIV and hepatitis C, and increase public safety by reducing the number of needles on the street.
The epidemiologist with the B.C. Centre on Substance Use and a principal investigator into a five-year evaluation of Vancouver’s first safe injection site, said it’s no longer a scientific question whether sites should be established.
“The question in my mind is not whether Winnipeg needs this facility but whether or not there will be the political will or courage,” Milloy told The Canadian Press on Tuesday in an interview from Mexico City.