Montreal getting supervised inhalation site, a first in Quebec

A new supervised inhalation site will be opening in Montreal’s Sud-Ouest borough.

The new complex, which is set to open this fall near the Atwater market, will have 36 studios for individuals suffering from drug addiction and living in situations of homelessness.

According to La Presse, it will offer housing, meals, a common room with activities, psychological and medical assistance, and a supervised inhalation site allowing individuals to smoke hard drugs like crack and fentanyl – in a supervised setting. The injection of hard drugs will also be permitted.

Some Quebec organizations already allow the inhalation of drugs on site, but the project as a whole is said to be the first of its kind in Quebec.

The Maison Benoît Labre is the organization behind the project.

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“This first inhaling centre in Montreal is more than welcome,” said Louis Letellier de St-Just, a health law lawyer and co-founder of CACTUS Montreal, a supervised injection site in the city. According to Letellier de St-Just, there’s been a shift in how people are consuming drugs.

“There is a kind of certainty that inhaling is becoming more important,” said Letellier de St-Just. “It’s easier, it’s faster, to smoke, to inhale, than injecting it. And of course, the risk of infection is quite less.”

The organization’s goal is to provide a safe living environment for those who consume drugs without discrimination, as well as promote public health and safety.

The site, which is currently under construction, is located on Greene Avenue and Notre-Dame, next to the Lionel-Groulx metro station.

It will also offer a substance analysis service, so people can screen their drugs before using them.

The drug overdose prevention centre will be on the ground floor, allowing the inhalation of drugs. It will be open 24/7, for those living on site and others living in situation of homelessness in the community. Access to food, showers, and help from intervention workers will also be available to them.

Purchasing or selling drugs onsite will be forbidden.

The model is reportedly inspired by what is already being done in Western Canada.

The Maison Benoît Labre raised $1.4 million for the project. They are still looking for financing for the salaries of the intervention workers – who will work onsite 24/7.

“Think about the people who will have access to those services they are human beings, as we all are,” said Letellier de St-Just.