As revealed by a recent report released by the University of Victoria’s Centre for Addictions Research, there is a significant rise in the number of users who share injection needles. The centre monitored the use of the drug for three years.

The findings included in the report have been supported by the information gathered in late 2009. The proportion of people, who share their injection needles, has grown from 10% to 13%.

Andrew Ivsins, a research assistant and study’s co-author said, “The closure of the fixed-site needle exchange in May 2008 and the subsequent 15,000 fewer clean needles distributed each month in Victoria since then likely explain these results”.

The menace was the lowest in Vancouver, where 8% of the injection drug users expressed sharing the needles, despite having a number of fixed needle exchange sites there.

Suzanne Germaine, Spokesperson for the Vancouver Island Health Authority stated that there were no plans of starting a new fixed site in Victoria; but they had been looking for a proper location there.

She added that as planned, there would be distribution channels to be set up for providing clean needles. Victoria will get four such facilities, but downtown core will not get any as requested by the police.