Thank you for the question.
As a point of clarification, I have never said—or not corrected when asked—that what I wrote or either of the other two articles or papers that were done was primary research. They're critiques of research, which are quite appropriate. You look at published research and at the interpretation and you make commentary.
In my case, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had asked for a second opinion, because frankly, as I understood it, in some cases they were being told they didn't really have an opinion or shouldn't have one. I don't agree with that.
So I looked at the research. I've taught graduate classes. You can have a first-year graduate student read research and just critique it from the viewpoint of whether what is being said fits here. What I saw—and I would invite anyone to read those papers—is that there were many non-findings.
For example, to not have a drug overdose death at Insite is what I would call a “straw horse” finding. My goodness, I hope nobody dies at Insite of an overdose, with a nurse sitting there. That doesn't translate to saving lives. To make the statement that you've saved their lives.... You can't make that. And 2% to 5% of injections in the downtown eastside taking place—I believe I'm right here—at Insite is not going to reduce disease.
I have never said that I or anyone else—because we don't have the data; we haven't been given the data to go off and run it or to conduct primary research.... But to critique research is very appropriate.
I will say that a graduate student in statistics could have read what I read and, I sincerely believe, have come to the same conclusions. I have done research for the government wherein there was incredible pressure to succeed. I don't know; that's one possibility, but I can't get inside people's heads.
I don't have any personal disrespect. My own and the other two pieces question what's been made of the research, question whether to do no harm justifies the expenditure. I went the furthest of them and suggested that there is a strong.... One of the things I resent is this idea that somehow opponents are ideological, but those for Insite are not. No intelligent person could read what's been said and examine the tenor of the defences of Insite and not see very clear ideology there.
I would like to say also, in answer to the question about harm reduction—why the pillar has been taken out—I think what happened had to do with the way it came about. As a practitioner in the field, I saw very quickly that what was going to be four pillars was becoming one pillar. In other words, harm reduction was the guiding philosophy and was changing treatment, prevention, and enforcement into its own image, so that prevention was no longer prevention but was talking about problematic use.
I think the government reacted to that: “Wait a minute here. Canada's going to philosophically change to a softer, more liberal view of drugs”--one that I would hope most parents, grandparents, and others wouldn't really want to see. And that's what I think they did.
By the way, I wasn't consulted either.
There's your answer.