Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #SafeSupply

Most recents (24)

1-Objective: SAVE LIVES.
Recently I said a #SafeSupply is the pinnacle of saving lives but I realized it's not; it's the FOUNDATION, upon which we build policies to actually save lives.
I'm going to refer to this moving forward as the GOLD STANDARD in reducing #DeathsOfDespair. Image
2-Drugs would be legalized. A safe, known potency supply of substances created by existing drug manufacturers. It would include supply for RX'd medicines as well as for OTC public, adult, sales and consumption. Similar to how alcohol is sold & consumed now.
#SafeSupply Image
3-The BILLIONS UPON BILLIONS being funneled into the #DrugWar and the 'opioid crisis' would be put into improving efficacy and access to AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE, including mental and dental health, while bridging gaps in regard to other #socialdeterminants of health. Image
Read 7 tweets
Thanks to @CHEOSNews for hosting today's seminar on the drug poisoning crisis in BC. Some major takeaways from what I observed below: 🧵#bcpoli #SafeSupply
1. There is no evidence that prescription opioids are causing more deaths in BC. None whatsoever. It doesn't matter what antagonizers like @PierrePoilievre, @ZivoAdam, @AaronGunn or @PJReporter tell you. #bcpoli Image
2. #SafeSupply works. In fact, as soon as prescription drugs were discontinued, the overdose risk increased. #bcpoli Image
Read 7 tweets
Did you know?

1️⃣BC’s #SafeSupply is accessible to around 4,535 people

2️⃣BC has around 101,000 people who would qualify for an ‘opioid use disorder’ diagnosis

3️⃣That’s an accessibility rate of <5%

4️⃣It’s year 7 of this public health emergency

Source: news.gov.bc.ca/factsheets/esc… A sweet graphic Corey made ...
That 101,000 doesn’t even include people who use episodically, recreationally, or first time users

Which makes that <5% estimate GENEROUS, at best

Meanwhile, the carnage worsens and the drug supply volatility kills our loved ones

#SafeSupply now

#bcpoli From January 1st to Decembe...
We act like BC has a viable and accessible #SafeSupply, but we don’t

The cons will say the streets are flooded with safe supply, but it isn’t

The BC Gov will say they are different from the callous Alberta government, but they aren’t

Alberta Model™️=BC Model™️ Freddy from scooby doo unma...
Read 4 tweets
Alright, as promised, I will now begin the penultimate #HR23 thread.

Be prepared for many typos. “Opening ceremonies for Har...
First, last night’s opening ceremonies was fantastic. In particular the opening land acknowledgement was a perfect way to get us started.

Watch this video from @Talkingdrugs to see for yourself (my phone was dead at the time 😩)
The opening ceremonies was very inspirational, especially the awards ceremonies.

People like Gabby Bruning, Diane Lloyd, and Andriy Yarovoi are beacons of hope.
Read 29 tweets
@TheJusticeDept We need to have an honest conversation about how we got here. It didn’t have to be this way. Drug warriors fought against harm reduction for DECADES in favor of iron fist approaches which set up all the wrong incentive structures. Prohibition = price support for drug traffickers.
@TheJusticeDept Since Nixon declared the War on Drugs in 1971, drug warriors have chosen paths that closed off future options & channeled us into next year’s crisis. They have tactics without strategy & short-term goals without an endgame. They forced a rapid Darwinian evolution of traffickers.
@TheJusticeDept What might an alternative approach looked like? We don’t need a time machine or engage in counterfactual debate. It actually happened in Mexico until Washington crushed the experiment.
Read 6 tweets
The #AlbertaModel at work. 🧵

“A Medicine Hat-based recovery organization, which has to date received six-figures in government funding, has endorsed an anti-supervised consumption site ad campaign in the U.S.”

First, a must read from @JeremyAppel1025

open.substack.com/pub/theorchard…
This attack on supervised consumption services is not a one-off. It’s a pattern of misinformation.

From @ehyshka:

“It is unfortunate to see an Alberta-based organization lobbying the United States government against supporting this intervention,”

#ableg
Unfortunate, but not surprising. There is a coordinated movement underway to shift public opinion away from #HarmReduction. A movement heavily influenced by the misinformation machine in #Alberta.
Read 15 tweets
11,000+ British Columbians

On April 14, 2016 BC declared a public health emergency in response drug poisoning deaths.

Since that time, the unregulated drug supply has become more toxic and more unpredictable.

Since that time, at least 11,000 people in BC have died.

#bcpoli “A graph showing the increase of illicit drug deaths as th
Our most recent @bccoroners data is from October 2022. There is no doubt that we will get year-end update in the coming weeks.

And with that update, we will get another round of staged placations.

More grim milestones announced.

More “we’re doing our best”. “179 or 5.8 per day - that’s the number of British Colum
It’s important to note that we are not doing our best. In fact, our incrementalist approach to unregulated drugs is causing harm.

Many outside of BC believe we have widespread access to #SafeSupply.

That is lie.

BC’s “safe supply” is not accessible to the majority in need. “Tell your MLA that safe supply is not effective unless it
Read 11 tweets
Death by Toxic Drug Policy in BC

179 British Columbians were killed by political indifference in October 2022

That’s nearly 6 people per day dying preventable deaths due to government inaction and cowardice.

#SafeSupply remains inaccessible.

#bcpoli #cdnpoli A infographic that highlights the following information ‘D
Year after year in so-called #Canada, we see more of our loved ones, friends, neighbours, and community members killed by a failure to address the volatility of the unregulated drug supply. ‘Bar graph showing increases in drug poisoning deaths in C
This is not a crisis of ‘opioids’ or ‘overdose’—people are being poisoned.

We are talking about drug regulation, consumer rights, and bodily autonomy.

@kwardvancouver says it best:
“We must replace the entire illicit drug supply with regulated substances accessible to all”
Read 5 tweets
British Columbia lost 179 more people to the toxic drug crisis in October.

Every single one is an avoidable death

Premier @Dave_Eby needs to make clear to British Columbians what he intends to do to address the toll of the illicit toxic drug supply. 1/ #bcpoli #safesupply
This government is currently not doing enough to reduce the harms caused by toxic drugs.

If Premier Eby truly wants to save lives, he would introduce widely accessible safe supply. 2/ #bcpoli #safesupply
The premier has spoken about forced treatment for people who use drugs, and has said very little on safe supply. Studies are clear that people face an increased risk of death immediately following forced treatment. 3/ #bcpoli
Read 5 tweets
The pictured tweet is in reply to a post by Mike Ellis (AB Min. of Mental Health & Addictions) about the cancellation of a planned SCS in Calgary & I am so fucking tired of bad faith assholes like @Twolfrecovery & @sheldonbailey promulgating this incredibly damaging idea (1/x) Screenshot of a tweet from ...
that harm reduction & recovery are mutually exclusive, which they do in order to discredit harm reduction (distorted facts & outright lies) & thereby promote their grift - aka abstinence-based recovery - as the one magic solution to addiction, homelessness & the mass (2/x)
poisoning crisis. These ghouls do not care whether people who use drugs live or die so long as Recovery™ triumphs; meanwhile, ppl in Alberta ARE dying because they have no access to HR services & public support for HR across Canada is being eroded by disinformation (3/x)
Read 8 tweets
I applaud the provincial and federal governments for decriminalizing personal possession of drugs in BC.

The BC Coroners Death Review Panel made it clear that #decriminalization is needed in order to ensure that people can access services without stigma. 1/ #bcpoli #cdnpoli
But this announcement comes with a caveat.

BC requested a limit for personal possession of 4.5 g, but the federal government only approved a limit of 2.5g.

Health experts and advocates argued for a higher threshold, based on data and evidence. 2/ #bcpoli #decriminalization
The intent of #Decriminalization is to reduce stigma, but when possession limits are low, it can result in higher potency of drugs, potentially causing more harm and a fear of seeking help. 3/ #bcpoli #EndTheStigma #safesupply
Read 5 tweets
As a regional harm reduction coordinator, it’s been a hard week. FNHA data release of First Nations toxic drug fatalities/events. Gov’t pushback re: decrim and 4.5g vs 2.5g, BC Coroners service data release for Feb. People are dying every day while the govt spins their wheels.
We have the answers. We know what to do. The data doesn’t lie. Our own coroner’s service is pushing for safe supply. People are dying. Every day. The government doesn’t care because if they did, they could have ended this crisis long ago. How many more lives will be lost?
What the government tells us with their inaction is that people who use substances don’t matter. It’s a smoke and mirrors game they play, while 6.2 people die per day in BC. #bcpoli #harmreduction #safesupplyorpeopledie
Read 8 tweets
From August 2017 to July 2021, over 6,000 people died from our toxic illicit drug market.

6,000 British Columbians who could still be here today if the political will to save them existed.

Why has the @jjhorgan’s gov’t not introduced non-medicalized #safesupply? 1/ #bcpoli
For the past 6 years, our province has been in a public health emergency in which the toxic illicit drug supply has taken more lives than homicide, suicide, and car crashes combined.

These deaths are preventable. The policy tools are there but we haven't used them. 2/ #bcpoli
Current drug policy frameworks are rooted in prohibition, criminalization, and marginalization, and they are simply not working.

These archaic policies worsen the stigma that this gov’t has said it wants to reduce. 3/ #bcpoli #safesupply #EndtheStigma
Read 6 tweets
The Coroner’s Death Review Panel announced that from August of 2017 to July of 2021, over 6,000 people died from our toxic illicit drug market.

They've declared #safesupply as the first priority for people who use drugs, calling on the @bcndp to implement by May 9th. 1/ #bcpoli
These were preventable deaths if we had the right policy tools in place like #safesupply. This crisis intersects with our mental health crisis, our housing crisis, and our affordability crisis. 2/ #bcpoli
The supply of street drugs is getting deadlier, it is killing younger people, and it’s hitting everyone - those with substance use disorder, and those who use drugs recreationally. 3/ #bcpoli #safesupply
Read 6 tweets
Drug poisoning kills more Albertans age 25 to 39 than any other cause of death.

These deaths are preventable.

Every barrier to accessing evidence-based services is an additional risk factor for death.

We need action. We need a change. We need a solution. (1/4)
From the Dying For Access community statement:

• Expand supervised consumption services and reopen closed sites.

• Scrap the harmful provincial regulations for consumption services. (2/4)
From the Dying For Access community statement (continued):

• Provide access to safe regulated substances to replace toxic street drugs.

• Offer rapid, barrier-free access to medical detox and evidence-based treatment. (3/4)
Read 4 tweets
If 1 in 10 bottles of wine killed people we wouldn't be “building a system of care” we'd move immediately to ensure that a #safesupply existed.

The @bcndp fundamentally misunderstands the toxic drug crisis. It isn't an addictions crisis but rather a health crisis. 1/ #bcpoli
How does the @bcndp plan to separate those who use drugs from the toxic supply with no additional funding for #safesupply in #BCBudget2022? Why do they lack the political will to implement the solution that saves lives? I asked @AdrianDix & @jjhorgan this today. 2/ #bcpoli
The @bcndp made no mention of #safesupply in their 2022 budget, instead a fixation on treating addiction. If every person with substance use disorder was to recover in BC, our toxic drug market would still kill people. Because not all people who use drugs are addicted. 3/ #bcpoli
Read 6 tweets
austerity logic choosing who lives and who will die is a capitalist nightmare, it's awful
this is endgame of the I GOT MINE approach of both the emergency response and the "it's all about me" advocacy grounded in individual experience (which is not social justice or public health, and will not change the system); yes it's neoliberal capitalism
Read 7 tweets
so the majority of people dying are not eligible for the inaccessible, inequitable #SafeSupply pilot projects anyway? that is a huge failure by every policymaker involved. seriously. WOW. all of them.

maybe try a public health approach

#bcpoli
*public* means EVERYONE
wow this is going to get so much worse, think about it
Read 6 tweets
POISONING, not overdose.

substances detected in checked samples of local down. #DTES, feb 7-13 2022.

#SafeSupply #bcpoli

@adriandix @mikefarnworthbc

alexbetsos.shinyapps.io/DC_BC/ Image
this will get worse and worse until we replace the illicit supply. worse and worse, indefinitely.

this is the future we're allowing to happen. just like we're letting the planet burn.
yes this is the scariest thing
Read 4 tweets
2,224 people died from toxic drugs in BC last year. Breaking the record of deaths in a single year due to the toxic drug supply.

It is more per year than the #COVID19 pandemic, and yet there are no daily announcements on the impact of this public health emergency. 1/ #bcpoli
This gov't applauded itself yesterday for the work it has done to introduce safe supply and request federal decriminalization. But the truth is that this government’s measures have not reduced deaths - in fact, they are increasing. 2/ #bcpoli #safesupply
When concerned citizens take it upon themselves to hand out safe drugs on the streets of the Downtown Eastside, it is clear that this government is failing. 3/ #bcpoli #safesupply
vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/fre…
Read 6 tweets
Why is it important to decriminalize minor drug offenses? Why do I support this #harmreduction discussion that @CityofEdmonton is going to have in only a couple days?

I'm no storyteller like @drdagly and I'm not an expert like @ehyshka.

But let me try to show you why. 🧵👇 1/x
TW: opioid poisoning deaths, residential schools, Sixties Scoop, self harm

Aka: this is heavy. Welcome to my job. This is addiction med front lines. Come see what I see.

2/x
It's 2:30pm. I haven't eaten since 8am. I'm tired but we are pushing hard to admit as many as we can. We know the ERs are overloaded w/#COVID. If we can take a few of the patients off their list, maybe it will help just a bit.

He's my last patient to admit. He's tired too

3/x
Read 17 tweets
These numbers are staggering - as they have been since the health emergency was declared in April 2016. There is no way to adequately articulate the immense suffering and heartbreak this horrifying loss of life has brought to our province. 1/ #bcpoli #overdosecrisis
I recently met with a local chapter of @momsstoptheharm and we discussed the gaping voids in our existing patchwork of supports and services for the countless British Columbians with substance use disorder. 2/ #bcpoli
One parent told me: ‘we need immediate low barrier, regulated, non-stigmatized safe supply to save people from the poisoned drug supply. Because if your child dies there's no more time for other interventions to help.' 3/ #bcpoli
Read 8 tweets
Why aren’t doctors prescribing Dilaudid in BC? A lengthy #thread

Over two thousand people in BC have prescriptions for safer tablet opioids, benzos, and stimulants through BCCSU’s Dual-risk Mitigation guideline. (1/24)
This guideline provides advice to prescribers on which drugs and dosages are recommended for patients that are at “dual risk” of overdose or contracting COVID-19.

The goal is to support physical distancing among PWUD, (2/24)
by providing prescriptions so people don’t have to hustle, or go see a dealer several times per day for #streetsupply which means less risk of COVID contraction/overdose. (3/24)
Read 26 tweets

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