B.C.’s top doctor is again calling for the decriminalization of illicit drugs after another near record month of overdose deaths in July.
Dr. Bonnie Henry says the issues have been made worse by the measures enacted to combat the COVID-19 pandemic – B.C.’s other public health emergency.
“We know that shaming those who use drugs is not a solution. We need people who use drugs to know that they can come out of the shadows,” she said. “You don’t have to use alone because of fear of judgement and incrimination. We need to have the conversations that might make a difference in that person’s life.”
“Everyday more people are understanding the importance of ensuring things like having access to a safer supply from the toxic drugs that we’re seeing, and also the increasing support for the important measure of decriminalization of people who use drugs.”
The BC Coroners Service says another 175 people lost their lives to an overdose in July, after a a record 177 in June. It was the third straight month with at least 174 deaths, and the fifth straight month with over a 100 deaths.
“We know the toxicity of the drug supply is extreme and we’ve see that in the results,” Henry added. “We know that substance use and addiction is an extremely difficult challenge and its made all the more difficult by the measures we have put in place to deal with a global pandemic.”
Premier John Horgan previously said he supports a move by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police who are calling for the decriminalization of simple possession of illicit drugs for personal use.
A peer clinical advisor with the BC Centre on Substance Use says governments past and present are all responsible for not having a strong plan to prevent overdoses from happening in the first place.
“Every hour of every day our failed policies are forcing people to play Russian Roulette, only the odds are growing against them,” Guy Felicella added. “It’s not just a single bullet in the chamber, its a full chamber, and our bad policies are holding the gun.”
B.C.’s Chief Coroner, Lisa Lapointe, previously noted that bold steps are needed to address the overdose crisis, adding that a similar approach to what was taken to combat COVID-19 would ‘absolutely save lives’.
