Most of us use some substance to feel better — alcohol, cannabis, coffee, prescriptions — but we ban some of them and not others.
It makes no sense and our prohibition-type policies have failed.
Decriminalization would be a great Christmas present for 麻豆社国产substance users and their loved ones.
A fitting New Year’s resolution for the government would be legalization.
The way we collectively deal with the so-called ‘overdose crisis,’ which is more accurately a toxic drug supply crisis, is not working.
As the pandemic drags on, the toxic drug crisis is getting worse despite money being thrown at the problem and well-meaning folks doing all they can.
Only cancer tops illicit drug toxicity deaths in B.C. in terms of years of life lost, according to the Coroners Service.
In 2021, the highest rates have been in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, which includes 麻豆社国产(48 deaths per 100,000 individuals).
Currently, more than six people a day in B.C. are dying.
We need a culture shift as quickly as we shifted work from the office to home when the pandemic hit.
Donald MacPherson, director of the in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University told The 麻豆社国产 that he thinks the feet dragging by governments is because politicians fear being labelled soft on crime.
But the shift has started: according to an Angus Reid poll early in 2021, 59% of those surveyed favoured the decriminalization of all illegal drugs.
And if politicians are serious about decolonizing, this is a way forward.
The drug crisis is disproportionately impacting Indigenous residents.
Folks have been using substances since the dawn of time, so stigmatizing certain types of drugs makes no sense.
“They are not going to stop,” MacPherson, said.
So the solution is safe supply.
He said to imagine if someone from another planet came down and saw our drug policies.
“You are a drug-consuming society. You love drugs. You do pharma, you do alcohol, you do tobacco and then you have this other group of people who you won’t let have those drugs. It is very inequitable. It is absurd; it is barbaric.”
So, let’s replace the illegal, poisoned drugs with safe, regulated ones. MacPherson pointed to heroin-assisted treatment.
Whatever works.
, acting chief medical officer for the First Nations Health Authority said what she always reminds folks is to see the people behind the numbers:
“Those are sons and daughters and mothers and fathers and brothers and colleagues and teachers and athletes. These are people and we have to remember that when we’re doing this work... We have to remember that somebody’s buried their child today. And six people a day are dying of overdoses in B.C.”
