Ho Hum – Just Another Day

Just Another Day

Ho Hum – Just Another Day -

Some of you are not going to like what you are about to read. :( 

Imagine this: Every day, six British Columbians vanish, victims of the ongoing toxic drug crisis in our communities. Since 2016, this grim reality has claimed almost 15,000 lives. But for some, the outrage seems misplaced. It's like fiddling while Rome burns – people are more bothered by the smoke than the fire itself.

Rome burns, but why are we more concerned about fiddling than the destruction caused by the flames? You’d think that people would be absolutely incensed with the carnage. Sadly victims of this crisis have become as routine as the morning commute. And yet, we do hear public outrage. Weirdly the outrage seems to be directed not at the staggering loss of life, but rather at the mere visibility of substance use, - poverty, and homelessness. It's as if the sight of someone struggling with addiction is more offensive than the sheer parade of bodies in caskets.

Heaven forbid - that our sensitivities be assaulted by the reality of homelessness, poverty, and people smoking unregulated substances.

The facts are my friends, that most people don’t seem to give a rat’s ass about the real underlying causes of the toxic drug crisis. What people want is not to see any of the resulting human tragedy.

In the relentless pursuit of eliminating the horrible visuals, many people and groups with specific agendas have embraced misinformation about decriminalization, harm reduction, and safe supply. They choose to point to these leading-edge evidence-based models as scapegoats and proof that these policies are not working. This, my friends, has become unbelievably rampant. If the loss of life wasn’t so serious, the constant parade of ludicrous distortions, half-truths, and spin would make the toxic drug crisis a perfect plot for a Monty Python movie. – a dark comedy of errors fueled by ignorance and denial.

Most of the general public has no clue about the latest evidence-based science behind initiatives like decriminalization or safe supply. Even some of our illustrious political leaders prefer to ignore the science. Instead, they pander to their base, telling their voters what they want to hear instead of the science-based facts.

It is fascinating watching the interaction in the public around the toxic drug crisis unfold. EVERYONE has an opinion - almost no one wants to learn the latest science. It's like watching a group of people trying to solve a Rubik's Cube with their eyes closed –  You'll never solve the puzzle unless you open your eyes and study it first.

Was it Google and social media that killed the respect we used to have for experts, science, and evidence-based knowledge? These days, everybody seems to be an armchair expert. Perish the thought, that science or facts get in the way of our opinions. When they do, most of us blow off the evidence and science, preferring to cling to our own unsubstantiated beliefs. What happened to us? Have we become so arrogant that we now believe our own knowledge far exceeds that of people who have literally spent their entire lives studying a specific topic?

Let's not confuse people with facts. Boy oh boy, look out when you bring up science-based information that contradicts long-held opinions. You'd have an easier time getting the remote control from a Canucks sports fan during the playoffs.

We’ve tried. Many of our articles include links to peer-reviewed research from the most esteemed science organizations on the planet. People ignore most of it, preferring to spout off their opinion-based “expertise” gained by listening to their uncle Bob at the last family BBQ. They might have read something on a community Facebook page where someone posts a photo of some poor homeless person and accuses them of all manner of wrongs including some very bizarre perceptions about decriminalization and safe supply trials. By now, absolutely EVERYONE should understand that poverty, homelessness, mental health, and substance disorders are not criminal actions. These are social and health disorders!

And let's not forget the elephant in the room: – we know what doesn’t work. Decades and decades of hauling people off to jail doesn’t work. Ignoring poverty and homelessness doesn’t work, and neglecting mental health disorders doesn’t work. Weeks and weeks of waiting time for referrals to detox or recovery centres doesn't work. We have more than a century of strategies that have failed miserably. These methods have proven to be colossal failures – strategies as effective as trying to put out a forest fire with a squirt gun.

So, when the experts finally persuade the bureaucrats and Government to try a few innovative science/evidence-based ideas like decriminalization or a few very small trials of safe supply, all of a sudden the wheels have come off the bus. For a century or more, we tried all of the punishment models. Then for just over a year, we try a very watered-down version of decriminalization, and everyone wants to give up!

Here's the harsh truth: The responsibility of the public is not to spout off opinions based on biases from past models that have been proven ineffective. No, our duty is to educate ourselves on science-based facts and approach this crisis with curiosity, an open mind, and a willingness to learn.

And let's not absolve the government of its share of responsibility: They failed to explain these new models in a way that the public could understand and support. They neglected to provide the necessary immediate recovery facilities that would support those seeking help through decriminalization or safe supply. Instead, they took the easy path of implementing trials without addressing the harder issues of access to treatment, poverty, and homelessness – issues that successful countries that have decriminalized have tackled head-on.

So, my dear friends, let's stop shouting into the void and start listening to the voices of reason and evidence. Let's embrace the uncomfortable truth that our old ways have failed and that it's time to try something new – something that might just save lives instead of perpetuating the cycle of death and despair. Perhaps we could utilize our efforts and voices to encourage the Government to implement science/evidence-based policies the right way, instead of paying lip service to them. The Government's existing Band-Aid models are causing irreparable harm to the science-based solutions.

Because at the end of the day, what's truly ludicrous is not the pursuit of innovative solutions, but the stubborn insistence on clinging to strategies that have proven time and again to be utterly ineffective. It's time to wake up, smell the bitter truth, and make a change – before the curtain falls on yet another tragic act in this Monty Python-esque farce.

Opinion Article: The Author: Ron Merk – Ron advocates for people and families experiencing concurrent disorders.