There was a frank exchange of views on the subject of drug addiction after Friday's column about two addicts' outlook on the issue. As in: "Fire this writer at once. Thanks for stigmatizing this population which you clearly have zero understanding of." "Heartless." One writer credited me with some intelligence, "but it was a bit hidden today." The piece in question was my reaction to CBC Victoria's revealing interview with two addicted young women who sounded quite cavalier about the danger they were facing every day. It was written mostly out of frustration over the absence of any indication they were thinking of changing course. [continues 592 words]
Dear Editor: The federal government legalized euthanasia up against the backdrop of a rash of suicides on First Nations reserves and at a time when there was (and still is) no national suicide strategy or national palliative care strategy in place. Now, while people are dying by the hundreds from an epidemic of opioid drug use, the federal government marches on with their plan to legalize marijuana. It can't be just me. Others must see the blindness of our Members of Parliament in Ottawa. But you know who isn't blind? Our children. They are watching our government make these kinds of decisions and some regrettably are believing the narratives cobbled together around the justifications for the government's reckless actions. And worse yet, some children will buy into the lie that suicide is justifiable and drug use must be okay. Because their government says so. Thank God parents and those who will vote in 2019 are watching too. Doug Sharpe Summerland [end]
I'm a 61-year-old "addict enabler" with more than 300 years of addiction exposure among family and friends. I believe harm reduction policies further damage hard drug users. Whether heroin, cocaine, meth, or "medical" marijuana (that topic needs another letter), all levels of government actively support the illicit drug industry. The city and province likely can't afford to eradicate hard street drugs because addiction and its related services and products is very big business here, employing many. Truly, neither the addict, nor community at large is protected. [continues 173 words]
Island Health is responding to criticism over its public consultation survey on its three supervised injection sites proposed for Victoria. "We recognize the concerns that have been expressed about the survey questions, and we agree these concerns are valid," said a statement posted Thursday on the health authority's website. Several people complained on social media and to Island Health about the survey, which asks respondents to say whether they are "a little bit concerned," "moderately concerned," "very concerned" or "extremely concerned" about several aspects of the site. It does not offer an option for registering no concern. [continues 333 words]
Re: George Getty letter, entitled "Tough on drugs." While your emotionless concern over these fentanyl related deaths was noted, you offered no real solution besides chastising the users and their parenting. You said, "Further, the penalty for dealing drugs should be more severe and immediate. If you're caught with drugs you should be summarily punished..." Our current policies show how prohibition and creating a "war on drugs" are all counter productive. So your solution is to double down on an already failed concept? [continues 251 words]
VANCOUVER - The death toll from illicit drugs will likely continue rising because of stronger opioids, an onerous federal law and accidental overdoses among people who unwittingly take a killer pain medication, says British Columbia's medical health officer. Dr. Perry Kendall said a record-number of fatal overdoses have officials in several cities across the province urging the federal government to approve facilities where drug use is supervised and overdoses can be reversed. The BC Coroners Service released figures Wednesday showing there were 622 fatal overdoses from illicit drugs between January and October compared with 397 during the same period last year. [continues 378 words]
Cannabis could be effective in weaning Canadians addicted to opioids off the deadly drugs, according to a University of British Columbia study that examined existing research on how marijuana affects those with mental-health and substance abuse issues. Zach Walsh, a clinical psychologist and cannabis researcher who led the study, says the research shows many people are using cannabis to replace or lower their intake of heavier medications, though he cautioned that more medical trials are needed to prove how marijuana is helping those addicted to opioids. [continues 510 words]
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. [continues 639 words]
Remember the old "gateway drug" theory that marijuana leads to harder drugs like cocaine or meth? Now researchers at the University of British Columbia believe the idea might actually work in reverse. A new study touted as one of the "most comprehensive" ever suggests that drug users - particularly those addicted to opioids and alcohol - could benefit from using marijuana as a reverse "stepping stone" away from more dangerous substances. According to UBC associate professor of psychology Zach Walsh, "research suggests that people may be using cannabis as an exit drug to reduce use of substances that are potentially more harmful, such as opioid pain medication." [continues 71 words]
RE: "The coming legalization of pot doesn't make it right" by Mac Olsen, Oct. 26, South Peace News As I read this article, the only thing I could picture was some old man, shaking his finger, uttering, "marijuana is bad!" This kind of close-minded, knee-jerk reaction is exactly the kind of response I've come to expect from people who don't do their homework. They operate off ancient and expired ideas that harm the progress of society. [continues 383 words]
'These issues have to be solved very quickly' when cannabis is legalized, expert says A B.C. Human Rights Tribunal case involving a gymnastics coach suspended after co-workers claimed she was "stoned" at work when she used medical marijuana raises a difficult issue for employers, according to experts. How do you balance the needs of an employee who requires medical marijuana with ensuring there is no "intoxication" at work, asks adjunct professor Mark Haden of the University of B.C.'s School of Population and Public Health. [continues 587 words]
A B.C. Human Rights Tribunal case involving a gymnastic coach suspended after co-workers claimed she was "stoned" at work when she used medical marijuana raises a difficult issue for employers, experts say. How do you balance the needs of an employee who requires medical marijuana with ensuring there is no "intoxication" at work, asks adjunct professor Mark Haden of the University of B.C.'s School of Population and Public Health. "The real issue is impairment testing, and that's hard to do right now. Urine analysis testing isn't useful, since marijuana can be detected for 30 days - long after any psychological or physical effect has passed," he said. [continues 521 words]
Overdose concerns grow as computer upgrade allows credit union members access to overdraft Service providers in the Downtown Eastside are fearing a spike in overdoses and homelessness in the area after computer upgrades gave members of a local credit union temporary access to overdrafts. ATMs were being drained Saturday after word spread quickly around Hastings and Main streets that members of Pigeon Park Savings could use their client cards to make multiple withdrawals of $80, despite never having access to an overdraft before. [continues 833 words]
Vancouver police have issued another warning after 11 overdoses were reported in a single day in the city's Downtown Eastside. The move prompted the province's opposition party to call for more help for addicts and underscored the danger facing drug users ahead of a federal conference on the opioid crisis. Police issued the warning after a series of non-fatal overdoses on Monday, echoing previous notices from police and health officials, who have urged users not to inject when they are alone and to watch for overdose symptoms. [continues 551 words]
As overdose deaths climb, facilities seen as way to save lives Victoria could see three supervised consumption sites for injection drug users open by 2017. Island Health is proposing public sites for Pandora Avenue and Rock Bay, and a private site in a residential building on Johnson Street in response to an overdose-death crisis that has killed at least 44 Victorians in 2016 so far. The health authority plans to use $7 million out of its regular operating budget to open the sites, as well as a potential site in Nanaimo and mobile harm reduction services across the Island. [continues 778 words]
Respect for Communities Act currently puts requirements on prospective operators that critics say are an effort to curb the facilities The federal government will change a contentious piece of Harper-era legislation that critics say imposes undue barriers to opening new supervised injection sites. Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott discussed the need for legislative changes to the Respect for Communities Act for the first time on Thursday during a visit to a fire hall in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. First responders, particularly in the East Vancouver neighbourhood, have seen call rates surge in recent years, due largely to a fentanyl-driven overdose crisis. [continues 665 words]
Canadians, especially lawmakers, gleefully rushing headlong to legalize marijuana should pause to consider the heartbreaking stabbing death of 13-year-old Letisha Reimer, as innocent a crime victim as one can imagine. Gabriel Brandon Klein, the 21-year-old homeless man from Alberta charged with second-degree murder in the death of the Abbotsford Senior Secondary School student, and aggravated assault in the non-fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old girl in the Nov. 1 attack, was a heavy pot smoker who recently "became manic, paranoid and frightened," some of his friends told CBC. [continues 650 words]
Market expanding as more states legalize weed As California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts appear set to join the growing list of states that have legalized recreational pot, one of B.C.'s biggest medical marijuana producers is seeing big opportunities in the American market. After several successful ballot initiatives south of the border this week, B.C. will soon be the only West Coast jurisdiction between the Bering Sea and Tijuana where toking up is still restricted to medical use. But the people behind Tilray, the federally licensed cannabis production facility on Vancouver Island, aren't concerned about losing their edge to rivals south of the border when Canada eventually legalizes pot. [continues 328 words]
Cannabis Culture store located in a PoCo strip mall A pot shop franchise with ties to Canada's most famous marijuana activist is open on the edge of downtown Port Coquitlam. And the spokesperson for Cannabis Culture said the company plans to push further into the suburbs given its success in PoCo. Yesterday (Thursday), Jodie Emery - wife of the so-called "Prince of Pot" crusader Marc Emery, leader of the BC Marijuana Party - told The Tri-City News the company wants to expand into other Lower Mainland municipalities so people don't have to drive into Vancouver to buy marijuana. [continues 678 words]
Inside British Columbia
