Safer crack cocaine use kits a harm reduction hard sell
The smoking of crack cocaine is a relatively neglected public health problem in Canada, in comparison with injection drug use. Crack smoking involves particular risks and harms, including possible infectious disease transmission, which underlines the need for targeted interventions. One pragmatic grassroots intervention that has only recently begun or been discussed in several Canadian cities is the distribution of ‘safer crack use kits’, which provide hardware for crack smoking devices along with harm reduction information.* (more…)
Jon Gerrard, leader of the Liberal party in Manitoba, introduced a bill on December 2, 2008 in the Manitoba Legislature to provide a bill of rights for citizens with mental health disorders. He wrote on his blog, “it is imperative that people with mental illnesses receive services quickly, that their release from an institution such as a hospital be adequately planned, and that adequate support be available for them in the community on discharge.” 
Judy Graves, Coordinator for Vancouver’s Tenant Assistance Program, is a long-time, passionate advocate for the homeless. She began the Vancouver Homeless Outreach Project in 2005 that has successfully housed more than 2,000 people in B.C. She also co-authored the book A Room Somewhere: 101 Solutions to Homelessness.* 
