Overdoses a measure of the success of Vancouver's drug injection site.

VANCOUVER -- Insite, North America's first government-approved drug injection site experienced an odd measure of success--25 people overdosed on drugs. The "success" was that these overdoses were treated by the doctors nurses on site and no one died.

The addicts supply their own drugs and insite provides free needles and sterile conditions. However, they sometimes pass out or go into frenzies of tearing off their clothes and clawing at their exposed skin, until they receive medical attention by staff on duty. The cause of many of these problems is in the quality of the drugs they purchase.

Another measure of success is that since it opened in September, attendance at Insite has risen to more than 500 addicts per day. Critics had argued that the addicts would not use the site because of the presence of police and registration procedures required. Insite has a capacity for 650 per day and this will likely be reached in the coming months.

The drug injection site was an issue in the recent municipal election. Larry Campbell became mayor, arguing that the $3.7-million centre was a "vital part of a harm-reduction plan to reduce overdose and overdose deaths."

In the first eight months of this year 39 people died of drug overdoses in the Downtown East Side area, where Insite is location. Insite claims to have prevented five certain deaths because the overdoses happened in the agency.

When the drug injection site was opened war-on-drug officials in the United States denounced the program and predicted that it would help more people to kill themselves with illicit drugs. They believe it undermines their efforts in the U.S.A.

New drug injection sites are expected in Vancouver and Toronto in 2004 and will provide addicts with a legal supply of heroin.