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1 CN BC: B.C. Residents Concerned By Drug CrisisThu, 29 Dec 2016
Source:Globe and Mail (Canada) Author:Woo, Andrea Area:British Columbia Lines:106 Added:12/30/2016

Survey finds British Columbians possess desire for action and are also willing to consider radical options for addiction treatment

British Columbians are deeply concerned about the overdose crisis and want to see improved access to addiction treatment - but, faced with an unprecedented number of drug deaths in the province, they're also willing to consider more radical options such as the legalization of hard drugs.

Those are some of the findings of a new survey by the Mustel Group, conducted for the InnerChange Foundation, a Vancouver-based non-profit that supports research in mental health and addiction. The survey provides a snapshot of provincial attitudes on substance-use disorder, and which initiatives people are willing to support amid the province's worst overdose crisis on record. It's expected that more than 800 people will have died of illicit drug overdoses by year's end; health and justice officials, politicians and activists have called for a broad range of remedies from increasing the number of treatment beds to legalization.

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2CN BC: Gov'ts Grapple With Weed Rules In 2017Wed, 28 Dec 2016
Source:Tri-City News (Port Coquitlam, CN BC) Author:Cleugh, Janis Area:British Columbia Lines:Excerpt Added:12/29/2016

GOV'TS GRAPPLE WITH WEED RULES IN 2017

Cops, city staff rework policies in face of law change

With federal legislation set to be introduced this spring to legalize marijuana across Canada, city staff and police in the Tri-Cities may have to rejig their policies.

Port Coquitlam - which already has a storefront dispensary selling recreational pot, contrary to Health Canada's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act as well as city regulations - is keeping a close eye on the proposed changes.

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3 CN BC: Temporary OD Prevention Site Pops-Up In RutlandWed, 28 Dec 2016
Source:Kelowna Capital News (CN BC) Author:Zielinski, Jen Area:British Columbia Lines:77 Added:12/29/2016

No one actually used the pop-up overdose prevention site that appeared near Roxy Park, Monday afternoon in Kelowna.

While some residents issued their displeasure to other media at the sight of a small tent and community members gathered in the cold - organizers of the pop-up site say the event went over very well.

Okanagan College Professor and former NDP candidate Norah Bowman along with former Kelowna city Councillor Michelle Rule were the two who hosted the Overdose Prevention pop-up site in Rutland.

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4 CN BC: Saving Lives On The StripWed, 28 Dec 2016
Source:Surrey Leader (CN BC) Author:Diakiw, Kevin Area:British Columbia Lines:107 Added:12/29/2016

Doug Nickerson is never without a naloxone kit, which he says he has used 113 times

He walks Surrey's notorious strip in Whalley, always carrying a naloxone kit.

Having being saved five times from the life-saving naloxone, Doug Nickerson now puts it to use for others he sees on Surrey's most battle worn street.

"I don't go anywhere without a naloxone kit," said Nickerson. "I hang a kit on my belt loop and away I go. Always have it."

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5 CN BC: West Shore First Responders On Front Lines Of Drug OverdoseWed, 28 Dec 2016
Source:Goldstream Gazette (Victoria, CN BC) Author:Engqvist, Katherine Area:British Columbia Lines:80 Added:12/29/2016

Firefighters treating increasing numbers of drug overdose victims

In the middle of another devastating month for drug overdoses in Greater Victoria, West Shore first responders continue to be on the front lines of some of these calls.

"Our hearts go out to the families that are dealing with these types of emergencies," said Langford Fire Rescue Capt. Lance Caven. He added that the Langford department, along with other West Shore firefighters, are "responding to these calls as part of a team."

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6 CN BC: PUB LTE: Legalize All DrugsWed, 28 Dec 2016
Source:Penticton Western (CN BC) Author:Randell, Alan Area:British Columbia Lines:29 Added:12/29/2016

Regarding the letter, Why should we pay? (Penticton Western News, Dec. 21) - I can think of one good reason why taxpayers should pay to ameliorate the fentanyl crisis: It's all the government's (and taxpayers') fault.

It is precisely because the federal government decided years ago to ban the use and distribution of certain recreational drugs that drug users today are forced to purchase unsafe drugs.

Solution? Legalize all recreational drugs and not just those the politicians use.

Alan Randell

Victoria

[end]

7 CN BC: LTE: A False Sense Of SecurityMon, 26 Dec 2016
Source:Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Author:McDonald, Bruce Area:British Columbia Lines:27 Added:12/28/2016

Handing out naloxone kits has had the unintended consequence of contributing to spiking the number of deaths. What is the incentive for a drug user to change their behaviour? These kits are providing a false sense of security.

Users will continue with the hope that they will be resuscitated in a worst-case scenario. They also contribute to straining our overcrowded hospitals.

Why can't our supposedly medical professionals figure this out?

Bruce McDonald, Surrey

[end]

8 CN BC: LTE: Enough AlreadyMon, 26 Dec 2016
Source:Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Author:Mitchell, Bonnie Area:British Columbia Lines:29 Added:12/28/2016

Enough already with the overdose problem. Yes, I am sorry that so many people are addicted to drugs. I do not understand why Canada and B.C. have so many drug addicts. We cannot save these people; they need to save themselves. More money will not fix the problem; they must decide for themselves to get clean. Soon Canada will be a haven for every drug user in North America if we keep saving these people instead of forcing them to hit bottom and get sober.

Taxpayers are getting tired of paying the bills for people who are not contributing anything for their care. Please give us a break and stop using our precious health care dollars for a problem we will never solve.

Bonnie Mitchell, Vernon

[end]

9 CN BC: Citizens Take Action On OverdosesTue, 27 Dec 2016
Source:Daily Courier, The (CN BC) Author:Seymour, Ron Area:British Columbia Lines:69 Added:12/28/2016

Trio sets up its own overdose-prevention site in Rutland after Interior Health fails in bid to establish one in community

More pop-up overdose-prevention sites such as the one created Monday could be coming to a Rutland neighbourhood.

Depending on the response of civic officials and police, additional efforts could be undertaken to offer places where drug users could receive naloxone in the event of an overdose.

"We're going into this, frankly, with a lot of unknowns," Norah Bowman said Monday.

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10 CN BC: PUB LTE: Taking From My PocketsFri, 23 Dec 2016
Source:Peninsula News Review (CN BC) Author:Cameron, Ian Area:British Columbia Lines:43 Added:12/28/2016

Let me start by saying that I am in favour of making illegal drugs legal, provided they are given to registered addicts in regulated doses to be used in situ. The addict arrives at the clinic (or opium den, or whatever you want to call it); shows his/her photo permit; gets the dose in a needle; and either uses it or is injected by an employee. I don't care whether he/she pays or not. If the feds/province/municipality buys the stuff from the producer, with no middleman (sorry, middle person), the cost per dose will be about 50 cents. Chump change.

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11 CN BC: PUB LTE: Legalize Drugs To Arrest Death TollMon, 26 Dec 2016
Source:Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Author:Proulx, D'Arcy Area:British Columbia Lines:34 Added:12/28/2016

Before 1973 there were no services for heroin addicts at all except in prison. Then the NDP passed reforms to health care which permitted methadone clinics. These were quite radical at the time. The clinic possibly saved my life as I was then using heroin. I got work and became law abiding and some of my friends did the same. Many eventually withdrew off methadone as the years went by and became "normal" people.

In the last 15 years the powers that be have ignored the lessons of Portugal and The Netherlands and even the universities that study such problems. It is now abundantly clear that prescription heroin is part of the answer along with counselling and/or residential detox for those who want to be drug free. I don't hear any politicians advocating for such solutions. As Christy Clark says, "This is beyond politics." With the introduction of fentanyl (and carfentanil) the situation is becoming a body count and there is no time for dithering or "further studies." If there had been action on this 10 years ago we would not be in such a situation now.

D'Arcy Proulx, Roberts Creek

[end]

12 CN BC: PUB LTE: Legalize Drugs To Arrest Death TollMon, 26 Dec 2016
Source:Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Author:White, Mark H. Area:British Columbia Lines:32 Added:12/28/2016

There is an easy way to stop this crisis in its tracks. Legalize street drugs, in a controlled way, so that addicts can get what they need without having to resort to dealers who provide products of unknown purity. If alcohol and tobacco were illegal, there would be even more deaths from adulterated products. As a bonus a lot of dealers would be out of business.

I cannot imagine why this has not been done. I realize that there are legal impediments to doing this, but we do have a serious problem. The laws should be changed immediately, or if necessary, broken by the health authorities in order to save lives. If done, everyone wins, the addicts stay alive and out of trouble, the police and other first-responders can take a much-needed rest, the illegal distribution network collapses, and the social workers can help these people in a more productive way. There is no time to waste, this needs to be done ASAP.

Mark H. White, Vancouver

[end]

13CN BC: Courts Must Aid Drug-Trafficking fight: JudgeTue, 27 Dec 2016
Source:Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Author:Dickson, Louise Area:British Columbia Lines:Excerpt Added:12/28/2016

The courts must do whatever they can to stop or reduce drug trafficking, a Nanaimo judge said last week as he handed a drug trafficker a six-month jail sentence.

On Dec. 19, Trevor Lee Sihota pleaded guilty to possession of heroin for the purpose of trafficking. Sihota, a 35-year-old recovering crack cocaine and crystal meth addict, was arrested on March 7, 2013. Police found 42.7 grams of heroin valued at $4,700 to $6,000 in his apartment.

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14 CN BC: Parents Prep For Realities Of Legalized MarijuanaTue, 27 Dec 2016
Source:Hamilton Spectator (CN ON) Author:Szklarski, Cassandra Area:British Columbia Lines:105 Added:12/28/2016

B.C. mom Scarlett Ballantyne wonders if Ottawa's plans to legalize marijuana will make her 14- and 16-year-old daughters more inclined to try it. But she's not waiting to find out.

Ballantyne says her family has been discussing the dangers of drug use since the girls were 13 - a preemptive strike as pot shops and marijuana headlines have been popping up everywhere they turn.

She's proud to say they are athletic, self-confident kids, but she also gets the impression that their generation sees marijuana as "not that big of a deal."

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15 CN BC: LTE: Fentanyl Crisis Affects EveryoneSat, 24 Dec 2016
Source:Prince George Citizen (CN BC) Author:Angele, Joseph Area:British Columbia Lines:84 Added:12/28/2016

Two years ago, a good friend of mine died here in Prince George, along with three others over the Christmas Holidays, all from fentanyl overdoses.

One year before he died, I watched my friend Ken fight, sweat, vomit and soil his way through withdrawal from heroin, cold turkey. After three weeks, he found employment, rose quickly through the ranks and gladly helped others. After eleven months clean, his pain, regrets from the past, the company of others afflicted and this perverted unrealistic time of year for a lot of people, culminated in his succumbing to his addiction one last time.

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16 CN BC: LTE: Drug Users Should Clean Up After ThemselvesSat, 24 Dec 2016
Source:Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Author:Miller, John Area:British Columbia Lines:30 Added:12/28/2016

Re: "Church builds wall to keep out drug users, homeless campers," Dec. 22. If the homeless drug-addicted want to use church property to sleep on, perhaps they should try being good neighbours. Just because they have addiction or mental health issues, it is not an acceptable excuse for leaving a filthy, dangerous mess behind.

During their lucid moments, why not collect their used needles and trash and dispose of them safely? Perhaps the homeless shelters could organize cleanup parties every morning.

If they were to keep their neighbourhood cleaner, people might be more welcoming.

John Miller

Victoria

[end]

17 CN BC: Posters Aim To Educate On Overdose ThreatFri, 23 Dec 2016
Source:Peace Arch News (CN BC) Author:Holmes, Tracy Area:British Columbia Lines:62 Added:12/28/2016

As the latest statistics from the BC Coroners Service confirm illicit-drug-overdose fatalities are continuing to climb, posters aimed at getting the message across that the danger isn't confined to addicts are being distributed throughout the Semiahmoo Peninsula.

Verna Logan, constituency assistant to Surrey-White Rock MLA Gordon Hogg, confirmed last week that the posters, created by Fraser Health, have been sent to South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce officials for distribution to their membership, as well as the White Rock Business Improvement Association, the Surrey Board of Trade and other organizations.

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18 CN BC: OD Deaths Lowest In RichmondWed, 21 Dec 2016
Source:Richmond News (CN BC) Author:Wood, Graeme Area:British Columbia Lines:67 Added:12/26/2016

Ten illicit drug-related deaths in 2016 is far below the provincial average but still twice the number in 2015

Richmond has the lowest death rate for illicit drug overdose deaths in B.C. and has largely escaped the healthcare crisis happening in Downtown Vancouver and other jurisdictions across the province.

Richmond's Medical Health Officer, Meena Dawar, notes that despite the low death rate this year, to date, it is still two times greater than it was last year, according to data provided by the BC Coroners Service this week.

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19CN BC: City Of Surrey Caps Number Of Recovery HousesFri, 23 Dec 2016
Source:Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Author:Lee, Jeff Area:British Columbia Lines:Excerpt Added:12/25/2016

Council willing to allow only 55 amid a surge of overdoses, homelessness

Grappling with a steady stream of fentanyl overdoses and the interrelated issues of drug addiction and homelessness, the City of Surrey has moved to limit the number of recovery houses that can operate in its boundaries.

With 50 registered recovery houses and another 20 unlicensed facilities taking in people with severe addictions, city council this week said it is willing to permit 55 homes, and the rest must shut down.

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20CN BC: Surrey Caps Recovery House NumbersFri, 23 Dec 2016
Source:Province, The (CN BC) Author:Lee, Jeff Area:British Columbia Lines:Excerpt Added:12/25/2016

City council willing to permit 55 homes but no more; rest must be shut down

Grappling with a sustained fentanyl overdose crisis and the interrelated issues of drug addiction and homelessness, the City of Surrey has moved to limit the number of recovery houses that can operate in its boundaries.

With 50 registered recovery houses, and another 20 unlicensed ones taking in people with severe addictions, city council this week said it is willing to permit 55 homes but no more, and that the rest must shut down.

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