Perry Kendall (British Columbia's Provincial Health Officer) sent the following to the Vancouver Sun on March 2, 2007: Subject: INCB and SIS I am writing in respect of the front page story (Friday march 2nd 2007) concerning the International Narcotic Control Board's (INCB) assertion that countries permitting supervised injection facilities are in breach of international drug control treaties. This is far from the first time this assertion has been made. It is unlikely to be the last. I write as co-chair of a federal/provincial/territorial task group that was established by ministers of health in the late 1990's to review the harms caused by injection drug use in Canada and to make recommendations on reducing those harms. The report from this task group which was delivered in 2000, recommended, among other things, that Health Canada create an exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, that would permit medical, scientific trials of the impact of supervised injection sites on overdose deaths, blood borne infections and other public health problems. This task group closely examined the legal and international treaty implications of establishing supervised injection sites, as we were well aware of the position of the INCB on this matter. The legal opinions we obtained, and those of lawyers advising Health Canada were clear. If operated for medical purposes these sites would not be a breach of international treaties. Furthermore these treaties are specific in that they are not intended to curtail signatory states from devising in-country, evidence based alternative approaches to criminalisation and punishment in their attempts to deal with the problems of addiction. The INCB persists, in the face of contradictory evidence, with its position that alternative approaches breach treaty provisions and condone drug use. Fortunately, to date, this opinion has not swayed countries like Canada, Australia, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Switzerland from their position in following the evidence. It is my hope that Canada will continue to respect the science and the best evidence and not be swayed by the INCB agenda. Sincerely Perry Kendall P. R. W. Kendall, MBBS, MSc, FRCPC, OBC Provincial Health Officer Ministry of Health 4th Floor, 1515 Blanshard Street Victoria BC V8W 3C8 Phone: 250 952-1330 Fax: 250 952-1362 [email protected] http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/pho