A form of madness has overtaken the federal Liberal government and the BC NDP government. They are both supplying free drugs to addicts under a so-called “Safe Supply” policy. In addition, these governments have authorized the establishment of, literally, a forest of drug injection sites, but are providing very few treatment centres for addicts. This madness has blinded the two governments to a common sense approach to addiction, namely, that it’s better to empower the addict to get back on his feet than to increase and expand drug use through easy access to free drugs. Free access to drugs can only lead to the continuation of the addiction and more overdose deaths. This is evident in the different drug policies of BC and Alberta.
The Tale of Two Provinces
Those who doubt that free access to drugs is harmful need only look to the differing approaches to drug addiction provided by Alberta and BC.
Alberta
Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney had the backbone and common sense to push against heavy pressure from drug advocates, who insisted that making drugs more accessible was reasonable. Instead, he took the approach that addicts require treatment. He, therefore, expanded the number of treatment facilities available for drug addicts, without cost. This appears to be paying off, as the overdose deaths fell in Alberta by 7.2% in the first half of 2022.
BC
In contrast, BC’s approach to providing free drugs through a safe supply policy has led to a continuing increase in drug overdose deaths, resulting in a new national record. Even before the implementation of the Safe Supply policy in 2020, the BC drug overdose deaths in 2014, were 20.4 for every 100,000 persons. This increased to 42.6 in 2016. In March 2020 the Liberal government approved a program to provide addicts in Vancouver’s downtown East Side with a “safe supply” of hard drugs during the Coronavirus pandemic. This resulted in the deadliest year on record in British Columbia’s opioid crisis as far more lives were lost than in previous years. The Chief Coroner, Lisa LaPointe, reported that the death toll in their province from drug overdose, at the end of 2021, had climbed 26% to 2,224 deaths. Dr. LaPointe stated “it is with tremendous sadness that I report that our province is in a worse place than it has ever been in the drug toxicity crisis”. Enabling addicts to access drugs clearly leads to more addiction and more overdose deaths.
Political Pressure to Silence Critics of Free Drugs to Adults
Dr. Julian Somers, a clinical psychologist, distinguished professor at Simon Fraser University and director of the BC Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction, has worked many years in the addiction field. He has called for reforms to BC’s Drug Policies, including reforming the safe supply of drugs’ policy. As a result, he has been frozen out of research funds by the BC government. He also has been the subject of an intimidation campaign by safe supply advocates, such as the BC Centre on Substance Abuse. In July 2022, this organization tried to prevent Dr. Somers from speaking at an academic conference in Vancouver.
Director Vincent Lam, a medical director of the addictions clinic, “Coderix,” in Toronto, has also publicly criticized Safe Supply. For doing this, he has been accused of being “irresponsible.” In an article in The National Post (Jan. 12, 2023), Dr. Lam states that at least ten of his colleagues have also expressed similar concerns about the harm of flooding communities with free opioids, but they are concerned about speaking out publicly against the policy because of the detrimental effect it will have on their professional careers.
What is going on? Do these governments want us to become a nation of drug addicts?