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.
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”
Models for #SafeSupply occur on a continuum that has not yet been fully realized or invested in.
The BC Gov would have you believe that we have a safe supply already but that is simply not true.
We will not escape this hellscape of preventable deaths without broader access.
We cannot become complacent in our attempts to stop drug poisoning deaths.
Our decision-makers, MLAs, + MPs all have power to enact/promote change NOW.
They are choosing not to make changes because they lack the political will. Do not let them forget.
I’ve been reviewing the @bccoroners most recent report on unregulated drug poisoning deaths.
When I filtered expedited toxicology to only include 2024 results, I was shocked.
This is a mass poisoning situation. A crisis that can only be solved with legal regulation.
#bcpoli
This is not an opioid crisis or a fentanyl emergency—this most recent update shows four different benzodiazepine analogues being regularly detected in toxicology. Bromazolam alone is being found in 39% of unregulated drug deaths.
Couple this with variable concentrations of fentanyl + fentanyl analogues and we have a toxic mix with no quality control or predictability.
Benzodiazepines + opioids produce a synergism, profoundly increasing sedation and respiratory depression.
The concept of involuntary care, or forced treatment, is often flouted as compassionate. Coupled with weaponizing “public safety” language, people who use drugs are framed as incapable of making their own decisions and as dangers to the community at large.
Driving home from #IOAD2024 event in #PortAlberni today and noticed someone slumped against a building with another person standing over them looking anxious.
I decided to pull over and check things out.
🧵
#bcpoli
When I arrived on scene I saw the person on the ground was motionless and the other person was calling 911.
I introduced myself and let her know I was a nurse, asked her if I could take over.
“Yes” she said nervously.
As I assessed, I explained to the bystander what I would be doing.
S - stands for stimulate
A - stands for airway
V - stands for ventilation
E - stands for evaluation
M - stands for medication (naloxone)
E - stands for evaluation
Effect of Risk Mitigation Guidance opioid and stimulant dispensation on mortality and acute care visits during dual public health emergencies: retrospective cohort study
“This study found that RMG opioid dispensations were associated with a reduced likelihood of all cause and overdose related mortality among people with a diagnosis of opioid use disorder.”
This is a massive study of almost 12,000 people.
“The protective effect of RMG opioid dispensations on mortality is congruent with findings from an evaluation of a prescribed opioid safer supply programme in Ontario in which mortality was rare among participants receiving medications”