Pubdate: Wed, 16 Nov 2016
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Times Colonist
Contact:  http://www.timescolonist.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Author: Les Leyne
Page: A8

ARE WE PERPETUATING ADDICTIONS?

The acknowledged benefits of safe drug-consumption sites have pushed
the questions about condoning and actively assisting incredibly
destructive behaviour off to the sidelines.

But those questions surfaced again Tuesday morning when CBC
Victoria's

On the Island aired a compelling interview with two young women who
sounded like seasoned veterans of the illicit-drug scene. One of them
was in her mid-30s and bubbling with enthusiasm about using drugs,
with or without safe sites. The other was 18 years old and just wants
to get high and relax.

Safe sites or no, they're both staring death in the face. The question
is whether the latest effort to protect them from themselves by
reducing some of the danger associated with routinely using drugs
amounts to just perpetuating behaviour that leads in only one direction.

The idea of young women killing themselves is normally a chilling
concept. But in the surreal interview, the two were so cheerfully
matter of fact, so blase about the danger and appeared so entitled to
have their route to the morgue subsidized that it lent an air of detachment.

The concept of personal responsibility seemed so distant that you feel
like an old fuddy-duddy just thinking about it. They acknowledge the
dangers. They're up to speed on the grisly effects of getting
infections, or hitting a nerve when injecting.

But they're keen to see the government lessen those odds. So they can
keep using drugs more safely.

"Loney" and "Elizabeth" - first names only - chatted about one of the
safe-consumption sites being in Loney's building.

"It's going to be peer run … We're not going to feel like we're being
told by a lot of textbook people … we know what we're talking about,
we've had past experience with it."

The two lived in the tent city prior to moving to one of the shelters
opened during the effort to shut down the camp.

Loney estimated 75 per cent of the residents are using illicit drugs.
She estimated there are five overdoses a day.

"People go into a state, we call it the funky chicken [giggles from
Elizabeth]. They go into a seizure area, they go grey … lips turn
blue, they have to have CPR. A lot of people don't have first aid
training. None of us do, but we're all addicts so we take it on ourselves."

Her brief rundown of the drug scene in Victoria included a burst of
enthusiasm at one point for shatter, a concentrated form of marijuana.

After the potential for danger was noted, she said: "It's so good
though, man. You do two tokes and you're good. You cough your head off
and then you're good. It's awesome. It's such a unifying
community-style drug, like [how] people sit around and drink coffee.
They just opened up a new shop on Quadra Street."

She said safety is always an underlying factor.

"I just want to get high, I don't want to die."

Elizabeth said: "I really dislike when I have to use alone. It scares
me just in case something does happen. I don't know, I'm not ready to
die yet. When I get high I like to be able to know that I'm safe and
that I can actually relax and take a breath.

"My DOC [drug of choice] is heroin, to be honest."

Does she worry about it being laced with fentanyl? "I expect it, to be
honest." Island Health's plans to have three supervised consumption
sites were announced Tuesday, and they involve a lot of public
consultation on applications that will be filed shortly. Even without
the lethal fentanyl overdose epidemic, they're a good idea.

B.C.'s OD death toll could easily top 600 this year, and Victoria has
now recorded 44 overdose deaths. Some kind of intervention to curb
those numbers is warranted, and the idea will likely be welcomed.

It's just frustrating to reflect on what counts as a win when dealing
with Loney and Elizabeth and all the others. Addicts will be safer,
but making addiction safer is different from treating it. Elizabeth
said she stopped injecting a few months ago in favour of inhaling.

If that's a win, it's a very small one.
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MAP posted-by: Matt