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Yet for more than a decade, the advice the government has received from Lapointe, the provincial health officer, the B.C. Centre on Substance Use, the city of Vancouver and others has focused heavily on stopping people from dying.In March 2020, it was the first jurisdiction in the world to offer free pharmaceutical grade heroin, benzodiazepines, methamphetamines and alcohol to addicts by prescription but without the requirement that they be taken under medical supervision.
In 2019, the provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said that these measures had averted 60 per cent of overdose deaths. Her 49-page report that year had a single recommendation: decriminalization.Article contentBut here’s the worst first. By a large margin, British Columbia remains No. 1 when it comes to deaths per 100,000 — 42.1 for the first six months of 2022. Within the Northern Health Authority, it soared to 60 deaths for every 100,000 people.
They’ve argued for a four pillars approach that includes addressing the root causes of addiction, including intergenerational trauma from residential schools, poverty and homelessness.
What does this mean? Ending the deadly farce of Prohibition is the way to reduce harm!
as it did before
VaughnPalmer Decriminalization shouldn't be the first step. It's important but without support staffing and facilities, all that decriminalization creates is bringing drug injection to the curbside and parks. The VPD has not enforced small quantity possession for years.
Well they’ve changed part of it but are still calling hydromorphone “pharmaceutical-grade heroin” lollll
Worthless
We NEVER got the funding needed!The police state apparatus always oppressing and causing deaths due to forcing everyone into hiding. Criminalizing the heck out of those who could not hide and using Conditions to control unhoused and poor to death! I blame police & the colony
This is not journalism. Click bait pandering - embarrassing drivel
There is no money for treatment, we need to harvest the organs of all the young people who overdose, screw them Vancouver SurreyBC cdnpoli vanpoli bcpoli
For someone who has been a published writer for 20years, you'd think the fact checking skills would be top notch but, here we are...
There is so much misinformation in this, it’s very embarrassing
We have more drug deaths in BC because we have more addicts and more drug dealers. Addicts from across Canada drift here bc of our better climate and the failed no-stigma, no-shame open drug use.
BC Forestry sector stresses safety, not having fun, and leads Canada in fatal forestry accident rate