BC’s Poisoned Drug Crisis: What YOU Need to Know

What YOU Need to Know

The Grim Reality

The poisoned drug crisis has reached epidemic proportions that claim lives daily. In Canada alone, an average of 22 people die each day from toxic street drugs. In BC, 2023 delivered more than 7 deaths a day. This year, In January another 198 deaths were recorded in BC. These deaths are PREVENTABLE, yet they persist due to a complex web of factors. Why isn’t the crisis getting better? What are we doing wrong? Let’s delve into the heart of this crisis.

Key Statistics and Trends

·       Opioid Toxicity:– a term used to classify substance use deaths involving opioids. With each passing day, the crisis worsens, as street drugs become increasingly more lethal and effective Government action remains elusive.

·       Unregulated Substances: Unlike contaminated food products or contaminated prescription or regulated drugs that trigger swift regulatory responses, our unregulated drug supply remains a deadly menace.

Fentanyl, benzodiazepines, and a host of other substances are mixed with, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other drugs without any regard to warning to people who use these substances.

Traditional Methods – Complete Failure?

Why would we use a term so provocative like “complete failure?” Folks, in all seriousness, if we didn’t have the flawed and generally limping-along system we do, the overdose deaths in our province would be beyond imaginable. However, those same flawed systems and policies are not decreasing deaths.

How does that saying go? – Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result …– We’ve long passed the line between the positive characteristics of perseverance versus continuing to waste lives on dysfunctional policies and procedures. It’s time to highlight the futility of repeating actions without adapting or seeking alternative approaches. In other words, it’s time to stop continuing down the same path. All we’re seeing is more deaths from the same old, same old. If there ever was a time to embrace change and innovation rather than remain stuck in an unproductive status quo, it is now.

Traditional approaches to addressing the poisoned drug crisis have proven ridiculously ineffective. They continue to perpetuating the cycle of harm and loss. Let’s take a look at why some of the major methods fall short and fail us all:

1.   **Criminalization and Punitive Measures:

·    Issue: Decades and decades of treating drug use as a criminal offence rather than a health issue. Look around – has punishment improved any of the drug crisis? Do we really think harsher punishment is the answer? Look south to the USA. Harsher punishment for people using substances is a completely failed strategy.

·    Failure: Criminalization stigmatizes users, hindering their access to support and treatment. It does not address the root causes of addiction.

·    Impact: Overcrowded prisons, strained legal systems, huge cost to taxpayers with no return and continued substance misuse.

2.   **Abstinence-Only Programs:

·        Issue: Relying solely on abstinence-based approaches before recovery can begin.

·      Failure: Many users struggle with addiction despite their desire to quit. Abstinence-only programs fail to acknowledge the latest evidence-based research that relapse is part of the recovery process.

·      Impact: High relapse rates and limited support for those who cannot achieve complete abstinence. People thrown out of abstinence-based recovery programs learn one thing – their lives don’t matter.

3.   **Lack of Harm Reduction:

·        Issue: Neglecting harm reduction principles.

·      Failure: Many jurisdictions are advocating focusing solely on prevention without providing tools for safer use. This perpetuates risk and kills more people.

·     Impact: Increased overdose deaths, infections, and societal costs to everyone. Studies conservatively state that for every dollar spent on harm reduction, $1.30 is saved in the health system.

4.   **Stigma and Discrimination:

·        Issue: Viewing substance users as morally flawed.

·       Failure: Stigma prevents open dialogue, discourages people from seeking help, and perpetuates isolation.

·        Impact: Lives lost due to delayed intervention and lack of empathy.

5.   **Inadequate Access to Treatment:

·        Issue: Limited availability of addiction treatment centres.

·       Failure: Our waiting lists in BC typically run weeks or even months. Waiting lists, lack of resources, and geographical barriers hinder timely access.

·        Impact: Preventable deaths and many, many missed opportunities for recovery.

6.   **Ignoring Socioeconomic Factors:

·         Issue: Disregarding the impact of poverty, trauma, and social determinants.

·         Failure: Substance use often arises from complex life circumstances.

·         Impact: Failure to address underlying issues perpetuates the crisis.

7.   **Resistance to Evidence-Based Approaches:

·        Issue: Ignoring science, research and evidence.

·       Failure: Evidence-based harm reduction strategies (e.g., safe supply, and supervised consumption sites) are underutilized.

·        Impact: Huge missed opportunities to save lives and reduce harm.

Clinging to traditional methods without adapting to the evolving crisis has been a colossal failure. Even in the traditional models we use, we’re nickel and diming solutions. We add a few dollars here and there to programs or change one or two minor policies that have minimal impact. Provincially in 2024, the Government did not increase spending for the poisoned drug crisis one penny.

Let’s look at some of our existing addiction supports. For example, BC has approximately 3600 publicly funded recovery beds. The Government's own numbers suggest that we have approximately between 125,000 to 225,000 people with a drug addiction disorder. Using the lower number, that means it would take 8.6 years to put everyone through a 90-day recovery program once (100% occupancy rate). We know most people relapse several times. That means best case possible, it will take 20 to 24 years for just the existing people to reach recovery.

If we are going to solve this catastrophe, we must embrace innovative, compassionate, and evidence-driven solutions to combat the poisoned drug crisis effectively. 

Deeper Dive Into Causes and Contributing Factors

1. Social and Economic Pressures

·         Poverty: When life gets unbearable, people become desperate for even a few moments of relief from their suffering. Desperation drives them toward the edge. Imagine being homeless, feeling trapped in a situation with no way out. Every minute of every day is filled with choosing between hunger, cold, danger and no access to simple basic needs like bathrooms.

·         Stigma and Isolation: Society’s judgment isolates drug users. They hide in the shadows, fearing rejection. But compassion can be a lifeline.

2. Cultural Attitudes and Policies

·         Criminalization: Punitive drug policies don’t work. Criminalizing users doesn’t solve the problem; it worsens it. We know it’s frustrating. We’ve heard people wanting simple solutions, like “Why can we put them all in jail?” Remember what we stated earlier on how many recovery beds we need? Prisons cost at least twice as much as health alternatives and there is no attempt to heal people’s root problems in prisons. That means people finishing their sentences come right back to their communities with zero recovery rates. For that reason alone, we should be rethinking criminalization. We need a fresh perspective.

·         Taboos and Misconceptions: Let’s break free from stereotypes. Substance use isn’t a one-size-fits-all issue. It’s complex, and we must approach it with well-thought-out solutions and empathy.

Impact on Communities

1. Public Health Strain

·         Overwhelmed Healthcare Systems: Emergency rooms struggle with overdose cases. Doctors and nurses fight to save lives, but the system is stretched thin. In BC, there is only one small trial in St Paul’s Hospital that provides direct access to recovery via an ER

·         Blood-Borne Infections: Shared needles spread HIV and Hepatitis C. These infections ripple through communities, affecting us all.

2. Societal Perceptions

·         Shifting Paradigms: Harm reduction challenges old norms. It’s time to see addiction as a health issue, not a moral failing. Imagine a world where we offer help instead of judgment.

·         Community Resilience: Grassroots efforts matter. Organizations like Moms Stop The Harm mourn lost loved ones and advocate for change. They’re our heroes. If you really want answers to this crisis, ask a mom or family member who has lost someone what they think would work.

Solutions and Harm Reduction

1. Harm Reduction Strategies

·         Harm Reduction: The one bright spot in the crisis is the effectiveness of harm reduction. Naloxone alone has saved countless lives in the Province. In addition, harm reduction initiatives have saved taxpayers huge costs that would have been paid in other health and government programs – eg treating HIV or Hepatitis C

·         Supervised Injection Sites: Picture a safe haven where medical professionals oversee substance use. It’s like having a safety net while walking a tightrope. These sites prevent overdoses and connect users to additional support including access to recovery programs.

·         Needle Exchange Programs: Sterile needles save lives. Harm reduction isn’t about scolding; it’s about compassion. Harm reduction is not enablement. Harm reduction prioritizes life and safety over judgment.

2. Safe Supply Initiatives

·         Regulated Drugs: Let’s rethink our approach. A safe and regulated drug supply can prevent poisonings and deaths. It’s time to prioritize lives over stigma. Most of the rhetoric against regulated supply is based on fear and opinion from outdated beliefs – not science-based evidence and research.

Future Outlook and Call to Action

1. Collective Responsibility

·         Education: Learn about all the aspects of the crisis and harm reduction. Share knowledge with friends and family. Imagine a world where everyone understands the basics of saving lives.

·         Advocate: Demand policy changes. Support organizations fighting for safer drug use. Imagine a world where our voices create change.

2. Think Beyond Tradition

·         Innovate: The same-old methods don’t serve us anymore. Imagine a world where we think outside the box, using innovative solutions. Let’s explore new paths.

·         Compassion: Every life matters. Imagine a world where compassion guides our actions. Let’s rewrite the narrative together.

The poisoned drug crisis isn’t someone else’s problem; it’s ours. Lives depend on our choices. Let’s choose compassion, science, and action. Imagine a world where we save lives, one step at a time.