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updated and corrections / mise à jour et corrections: 6 juin 2008

by/par © François Lareau, 2008, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
First posted on the internet on 31 May 2008
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Exemption -- medical or scientific purpose or in the public interest
under the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act /

Exemption -- raisons médicales, scientifiques ou d'intérêt public en
vertu de la Loi réglementant certaines drogues et autres substances

ARVAY FINLAY BARRISTERS, "Fighting to save Canada's only safe-injection site", available at http://www.arvayfinlay.com/news/news-aug21-2007.htm (accessed on 28 May 2008);


BULA, Frances, "Injection site can stay open, B.C. judge rules.  Exemption extended for one year", The Ottawa Citizen, Wednesday, 28 May 2008, p. A3; British Columbia Supreme Court, Vancouver, Judge Ian Pitfield, decision circa 27 May 2008; "case brought by PHS Community Services which runs the site, and two drug users"; the site is Insite, which is Vancouver's siupervised-injection site;


CHRISTIE, T., E. Wood, .T. Schechter, and M.V. O'Shaughnessy, "A comparison of the new Federal Guidelines regulating supervised injection site research in Canada and the Tri-Council Policy Statement on Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Human Subjects", (2004) 15(1) International Journal of Drug Policy 66-73; title noted in my research but document not consulted;


Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
, Statutes of Canada 2006, chapter 19; available at http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/ShowFullDoc/cs/C-38.8///en; also available in French / aussi disponible en français: Loi réglementant certaines drogues et autres substances, Lois du Canada, 2006, chapitre 19, disponible à http://lois.justice.gc.ca/fr/ShowFullDoc/cs/C-38.8///fr

Exemption by Minister

56. The Minister may, on such terms and conditions as the Minister deems necessary, exempt any person or class of persons or any controlled substance or precursor or any class thereof from the application of all or any of the provisions of this Act or the regulations if, in the opinion of the Minister, the exemption is necessary for a medical or scientific purpose or is otherwise in the public interest

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Exemption par le ministre

56. S’il estime que des raisons médicales, scientifiques ou d’intérêt public le justifient, le ministre peut, aux conditions qu’il fixe, soustraire à l’application de tout ou partie de la présente loi ou de ses règlements toute personne ou catégorie de personnes, ou toute substance désignée ou tout précurseur ou toute catégorie de ceux-ci.


HEALTH CANADA, "Drugs and Health Products -- Exemptions [Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act], available at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/substancontrol/exemptions/index_e.html, accessed on 28 May 2008; also available in French / aussi disponible en français: SANTÉ CANADA, "Médicaments et produits de santé -- Exemptions [L'article 56 de la Loi réglementant certaines drogues et autres substances]", disponible à  http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/substancontrol/exemptions/index_f.html (vérifié le 28 mai 2008);

"Insite for Community Service", initiative of the PHS Community Services Society, web site, at http://www.communityinsite.ca/ (accessed on 28 May 2008);


"Insite -- Supervised Injection Site", in partnership with the PHS Community Services Society, web site, at http://www.vch.ca/sis/ (accessed on 28 May 2008);


PARLIAMENT, House of Commons, Standing Committee on Health, "Activity: Briefing on Harm Reduction Programs in Canada, with particular focus on the safe injection site in Vancouver", Meeting of 29 May 2008, available at http://cmte.parl.gc.ca/cmte/CommitteeList.aspx?Lang=1&PARLSES=392&JNT=0&SELID=e22_.2&COM=13189&STAC=2484150; also available in French / aussi disponible en français: Parlement, Chambre des Communes, Comité permanent de la santé, "Séance d'information sur les programmes de réduction des préjudices au Canada, en particulier celui en place au centre d’injection sécuritaire de Vancouver", réunion du 29 mai 2008, disponible à http://cmte.parl.gc.ca/cmte/committeelist.aspx?lang=2&parlses=392&jnt=0&selid=e22_.2&com=13189&stac=2484150;


PHS Community Services Society v. Attorney General  of Canada, British Columbia Supreme Court, Registry Vancouver, the Honourable Mr. Justice Pitfield, decision released on 28 May 2008; available at http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/Jdb-txt/SC/08/06/2008BCSC0661.htm  (accessed on 29 May 2008);


"Quebec ponders safe-injection sites", The Ottawa Citizen, Thursday, 5 June 2008, p. A6;

" 'The idea is not to promote drug use, but to offer users a safe environment where they can also exchange syringes and get in touch with people who can help them,' said HoracioArruda, director of the department's health-protection branch."


UNITED NATIONS, INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL BOARD (INCB), Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 2007, 2008, ix, 127 p., ISBN: 978-92-1-148224-9, available at http://www.incb.org/pdf/annual-report/2007/en/annual-report-2007.pdf (accessed on 2 June 2008); also available in French / aussi disponible en français: NATIONS UNIES, ORGANE INTERNATIONAL DE CONTRÔLE DES STUPÉFIANTS (OICS), Rapport de l'Organe international de contrôle des stupéfiants pour 2007, 2008, ix, 133 p., ISBN: ISBN: 978-92-1-248157-9; disponible à http://www.incb.org/pdf/annual-report/2007/fr/annual-report-2007.pdf (vérifié le 2 juin 2008);

"161. The Board, while taking note of the Government’s views on the drug injection room in Vancouver, wishes to reiterate its position on that issue as expressed directly to the Government and in its annual reports,55 namely that the provision of rooms for the abuse of drugs is contrary to the international drug control treaties, particularly article 4 of the
1961 Convention, which obligates State parties to ensure that the production, manufacture, import, export and distribution of, trade in and use and possession of drugs are limited exclusively to medical and scientific purposes. The Board trusts that the Government will reach a decision that will be in compliance with the provisions of the international drug control treaties. ...
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55 See, for example, Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 2006 …, paras. 175-179, 328 and 648." (pp. 30-31)

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"161. Tout en prenant acte de l’opinion du Gouvernement sur la salle d’injection de Vancouver, l’Organe tient à réaffirmer sa position, dont il a fait part directement au Gouvernement et qu’il a exprimée dans ses rapports annuels55, à savoir que la mise à disposition de salles pour la consommation de drogues est contraire aux traités internationaux relatifs aux drogues, en particulier à l’article 4 de la Convention de 1961, qui oblige les États parties à prendre les mesures nécessaires pour limiter exclusivement aux fins médicales et scientifiques la production, la fabrication, l’exportation, l’importation, la distribution, le commerce, l’emploi et la détention des stupéfiants. Il est convaincu que le Gouvernement prendra une décision conforme aux dispositions des traités internationaux relatifs au contrôle des drogues. [...]
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55 Voir, par exemple, le Rapport de l’Organe international de contrôle des stupéfiants pour 2006 ..., par. 175 à 179, 328 et 648." (pp. 32-33)