Utilization of detoxification programs has increased 30 percent since a Vancouver supervised-injection program opened, a new study says.

The CanWest News Service reported May 25 that researchers from the B.C. Center for Excellence in HIV/AIDS found that the average number of program users entering detox rose from 21.6 to 31.3 after Insite opened. The program "has probably helped to reduce rates of injection-drug use among users of the facility," the authors concluded.

"There have been many benefits of Insite in terms of public order and reduced HIV risk," said study co-author Evan Wood. "However, the fact that it appears to be pulling people out of the cycle of addiction by leading them into programs that reduce drug use is remarkable."

The study appears in the June 2007 issue of the journal Addiction.