2003: Insite—Supervised Injection Site

 

The first legal supervised injection site was opened in Vancouver in 2003 for injection drug users who were not well connected to health care services. They included men and women who use more than one drug, who experience both addiction and mental illness, have a history of trauma, are homeless or of Aboriginal descent. Insite is a safe, health-focused place where people can go to not only inject drugs but also to connect to health care services. Insite operates under a constitutional exception to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, with funding from the BC Ministry of Health through Vancouver Coastal Health.