First French cities apply for drug consumption rooms under new law

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First French cities apply for drug consumption rooms under new law

15 May 2015

Three cities in France have submitted applications to implement supervised injection sites (SISs) for drug users, becoming the first to do so under a groundbreaking law introduced last month.

Strasbourg, Bordeaux and Paris have to date all put in proposals to open an SIS, reported L'Alsace. Under the law passed by France's National Assembly last month, these sites -- and potentially others -- will be granted a six-year testing period in order to assess the efficacy of SISs and whether they could be incorporated into France's broader drugs strategy.

In both Strasbourg and Bordeaux the centres, should they be approved, will be located within hospitals. Dr. Alexandre Feltz, Strasbourg's deputy mayor, stressed that the decision to locate the SIS within a hospital is necessary both from a medical care perspective and to ensure that neighbourhoods aren't stigmatised for playing host to an SIS. According to L'Alsace, the exact location of the site for Strasbourg won't be unveiled until after a vote has taken place on the proposal this summer.

Bordeaux is also exploring the possibility of introducing a mobile SIS, reported 20 Minutes.

Supervised injection sites have a long and successful track record in other countries around the world, having proved effective at combating both the transmission of blood-borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis C, and dramatically reducing the risk of overdose fatalities. The world's first center was opened in 1986 in Switzerland, with Australia, the Netherlands, Canada, Spain and Denmark all having opened their own since.

There are approximately 122,000 injecting drug users in France, among which 7.2 percent have HIV and 41.7 percent have hepatitis C, according to the 2014 Global State of Harm Reduction.

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