[bdamm]

This is similar perhaps to viewing the distribution of condoms in high school as wrong. Wouldn't that encourage teens to have sex? But when you look at the data, you see that kids who go to high schools with access to condoms have lower rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs. So, did the condoms encourage sex? Hard to say. Did the condoms reduce the problems that are associated with sex? Yes.

Similarly, do safe injection sites encourage drug use? No, because drug use is going to happen regardless of the presence of safe injection sites. It does, however, make it much easier to transition drug addicts into programs that can help them. The data is there.

So bottom line; if you don't like having dirty needles about and open drug use, support safe injection sites. Likewise, if you don't like teenagers getting pregnant or getting STDs, then support access to sex ed and condoms.