First “room shoot” in Paris – a Public Good

Marisol Touraine, the Health minister, and Anne Hidalgo, the mayor (PS) of Paris, inaugurated today the first injection room in France. Located in Lariboisière hospital, this space is known under the name of “room shoot” will host from Friday, the first users of hard drugs.

Why are the rooms “shoot” ?

The purpose of this “consumption room safer” (its official name) is to reduce deaths by overdose, and limit the infections or the transmission of diseases such as Aids or hepatitis C because of used syringes.

It is targeted at consumers strongly desocialized, who have little contact with the centres for assistance and care and who accumulate the health risks, infectious, social, and judicial.

The opening of another structure of this type is scheduled in Strasbourg, at the end of October-beginning of November. “It is to secure locations, with doctors and social workers, to provide a contact health and social to these people. The objective is to enable them to out with a project of care, ” says Dr Alexandre Feltz, deputy mayor of Strasbourg.

How it works ?

The room is open 7 days on 7. Addicts bring their own drugs. Sterile equipment is provided, the quantity injected or inhaled is monitored. The space is divided into three parts : the reception of the users, a part dedicated to the injection or inhalation, and a last place devoted to rest.

What legal framework ?

This is an experiment for six years, made possible by the Healthcare law, passed last year by Parliament. The government had hoped to open as early as 2013, but had actually block elements by the State council has deemed it necessary to pass a law.

It is that allow the consumption of drugs – so that the law of 1970, which penalizes the use of narcotics – is not self-evident. Inside the room, the addicts can not be arrested by the police for illegal use and consumption of narcotic drugs, except if they try dealer. In addition, an area of judicial tolerance has been defined by a circular prefecture to allow the user – holder of a dose only for their personal use – to go in the room to shoot.

What is it ?

The first of these centres was opened in Berne, Switzerland in 1986, then followed by several european countries (netherlands, Germany, Spain) and then Australia and Canada. According to a report by the Inserm, 2010 these devices abroad, rooms to shoot in these countries, enabled us to reduce the risks while ensuring the safety of users and staff, and limiting the disturbance of public order. What are not necessarily convinced the residents of the place in paris. The banners reading “No to rooms to shoot” adorn always the facade in front of hospital Lariboisière.