Every person who uses drugs should have access to health care and harm reduction programs that meet their needs. However, the majority of prisoners who use drugs are currently denied access to sterile syringes, with rates of HIV and Hep-C among prisoners amounting to 10 and 30 times higher than the general population.
In 2019, Pivot, the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, and West Coast Prison Justice Society intervened in a case aimed at upholding prisoners’ constitutional right to access clean syringes, and to be free from the threat of preventable infection.
Related Projects
Promoting access to supervised consumption services and overdose prevention sites