A group of people who have real-life experience with drug use in British Columbia and Yukon is calling on the B.C. government to support a community-led mechanism for a safe drug supply, in order to combat deaths from poisoning by powerful adulterants like fentanyl and carfentanil.
“You’re going to get what you’re paying for rather than it being at the whim of the street,” said Kevin Donaghy, the president of the association that launched the call ahead of International Overdose Awareness Day on Saturday. “The reason that people are dying is because of the stigma and because of the fear of repercussions of engaging in drug use or illicit activity,” he said.
Decriminalization would help reduce deep-rooted shame and stigmas that discourage people from accessing support services and in turn help to protect them from a toxic supply, Henry said at the time. B.C. is already an international example for tackling the overdose crisis and implementing harm reduction, said Bruce Wallace, an associate professor in the school of social work at the University of Victoria and a scientist with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research.
“I worked as an advocate for over 10 years in Victoria to try to get supervised consumption services set up, unsuccessfully,” he said. “The ministerial order was passed by Terry Lake and within 24 hours, one was sanctioned and opened in the Downtown Eastside , and within three weeks they were operating in Victoria.”