Health unit slams video about drug consumption sites
Dr. Chris Mackie says the 'facts' in the video are a mix of 'anecdote and opinion'
A video released this week by a London ratepayers group opposed to a proposed supervised drug consumption site on York Street is being blasted by the city's chief medical officer as an assemblage of "opinion and anecdotes."
Posted on Friday, the YouTube video lists what it calls five "facts" about supervised consumption sites, locations where illegal drugs can be consumed under medical supervision as a way to prevent fatal overdoses and curb the spread of disease.
The five "facts" listed in the video are:
- Drug injection sites fail to rehabilitate users.
- Drug injection sites dramatically increase neighbourhood crime.
- Canada's drug injection sites violate the provisions of the international drug control conventions.
- The lack of income has resulted in many users turning to crime to pay for their drugs.
- London has a drug injection site at 186 King Street, however drug overdoses continue to increase.
The video is the work of the Midtown Ratepayers Association. According to a news release the group issued Monday, the video "Reveals the truth about drug injection sites in communities across Canada, the strain on law enforcement and their impact on those living and working in the area.
"Many well-meaning people think drug addicts walk in, inject themselves and go home," said Denise Krogman, the group's president. "The truth is, the neighbourhood becomes a magnet for open drug dealing, theft and other crimes."
CBC News has learned the video posted to YouTube was deleted after this story was published, but a copy has been obtained. You can watch the video below:
The group is opposed to the Middlesex-London Health Unit's (MLHU) plan to build a permanent supervised consumption site at 446 York St. The health unit, in partnership with Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, has been operating a temporary supervised consumption site at 186 King St. since February, 2018.
The city has approved the re-zoning to allow a supervised drug-use site at the York Street location, but it's now being appealed by businesses in the area.
Dr. Chris Mackie, London's chief medical officer of health, said statements in the Midtown Ratepayers video are not grounded in fact or research.
"There's a lot of opinion and anecdote that's quoted here, but the research is clear: Supervised consumption saves lives, and does not have a negative impact on the neighbourhoods," he said.
The video's first statement: "Drug injection sites fail to rehabilitate users" cites the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, but provides no link to that group's research. Also, proponents of safe consumption sites say they are intended to save lives by preventing overdoses, not to provide addiction treatment.
CBC News contacted Krogman, asking for links to the research cited in the video. She referred CBC News back to the group's website. It contains a section with links to nine "facts."
For example, Fact #6 on the site says "drug injection sites do not increase participation in rehabilitation." The link is to a 2017 CBC story about a drug user in Ottawa who was using an unauthorized supervised consumption site but was having trouble connecting with addiction treatment.
Another statement in the video: "Drug injection sites dramatically increase neighbourhood crime" cites as a source the PubMed National Center for Biotechnology Information. The ratepayers website links to an abstract of a Scottish study which looks at the relationship between crime and drug and alcohol use. The study, however, had nothing to do with supervised drug consumption sites.
Another "fact" in the video says "London has a drug injection site at 186 King Street however drug overdoses continue to increase." As a source, the video sites "CBC News London." The facts section of the Ratepayers website links to this CBC.ca story posted in April of this year. The story is about the deaths of five people in London of suspected drug overdoses. The story quotes Mackie and London's police chief at the time, who issued a warning about a powerful, deadly batch of drugs circulating on the street. The story also states that those who died did not use the supervised drug consumption and treatment services.
The MLHU shared data with CBC News they say shows that the rate of fatal overdoses in the region have dropped since the temporary site on King Street opened.
There were 22 deaths related to "opioid toxicity" in the first quarter of 2018. In each each subsequent quarter the number of deaths have been, in order: 12, 13, 15 and 13 in the first quarter 2019, the most recent quarter for which data are available.
Mackie said London's temporary supervised consumption site has saved 135 lives, instances in which staff responded to possible overdoses.
"This video is clearly not produced for a discerning audience," he said. "It's not well referenced and the references that are there, are inaccurate or a significant twisting of the facts."
Krogman, however, said the main purpose of her group — and of the video — is to raise their concerns about neighbourhood safety with city hall officials, who she said have ignored their concerns.
Krogman also said she didn't know how many members comprise the newly formed Midtown Ratepayers Association. She did confirm that the group is working with Blackridge Strategies, a controversial public relations firm involved in the production of anonymous attack websites in the last municipal election. She did not say whether or not Blackridge was involved in the production of the video.
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