A group of people who advocate safe supply drug In British Columbia, in protest against existing drug policies, free heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine were distributed outside the police station.
According to a press release from the Drug Addicts Liberation Front (DULF), they collaborated with the Vancouver Area Drug Addicts Network (VANDU) to distribute a free and safe supply of illegal drugs on Wednesday. Both groups represent legislative and social changes in access to safe drug supplies. They provided samples of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine, which were pre-tested and proved to be free of toxic mixtures associated with overdose.
Harm reduction activist and DULF member Eric Nyx was interviewed Weekly newspaper About the presentation, quote British Columbia declares overdose health emergency In 2016.
“In British Columbia, we have a chronic overdose crisis,” Nyx told Weekly newspaper“This crisis is actually caused by the failure of the prohibition system. One hundred years after the implementation of all these laws, we noticed that a very turbulent drug market has emerged, and drugs have become very unpredictable.
“The people who use them have died in large numbers, 20,000 have died in the past five years. When they went to buy drugs, they didn’t know what the ingredients were,” he added. “One day it may be 5% fentanyl, and then it may be mixed with pentachlorophenol or ketamine. Protests and these actions are criticizing this kind of fluctuation caused by the prohibition regime… Our focus is on regulation Drug supply. Prevent these overdose caused by unpredictable street supply.”
DULF and VANDU, who According to Vancouver is great Approximately US$3,000 was raised for the project, and tested supplies of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine were distributed to four harm reduction teams.
“We are trying to prevent people from dying by taking these drugs,” Nyx added. “We keep data about drug users who are over 18 years old and are already taking drugs, and no one overdose our drugs. The problem is that market fluctuations are killing people. We are not against recovery, we just want people to stop dying and The chaotic pattern of drug abuse.”
Nyx called the loss of life caused by drug overdose “completely unnecessary.” Weekly newspaper On the day of the protest and drug distribution, the tone remained “relaxed” because the drugs were safely distributed.
These groups also invited Congressman Jean Swanson (Jean Swanson) to participate in the distribution of drugs. Swanson talked about her involvement on Twitter: “I have to distribute safe medicine with VANDU and DULF today. 6 people die every day from too much poison. 1 person is too much. Now safe supply!!!”
I have to dispense safe medicines with VANDU and DULF today. Six people die from poison every day, which is too much. 1 Too many. Safe supply now! ! pic.twitter.com/YokjBLBHC4
— Jean Swanson (@JeanSwanson_) July 14, 2021
Swanson told Weekly newspaper Invited by VANDU and DULF to participate.
“They asked me if I would be willing to distribute the free and safe medicines they tested in protest against the fact that we are in British Columbia that about 6 people die from the poison every day,” she said. “For five years, this has been a chronic health problem in our region.
“Vancouver has a history of being at the forefront of drug policy. Thirty years ago, there was an illegal safe injection site and it finally became legal. We kind of followed in their footsteps,” she added.
On Thursday, British Columbia became the first Canadian province to permanently provide a safe drug supply to reduce overdose deaths. Vancouver Sun Report. According to reports, the government will provide alternative drugs and safety-tested drugs.
However, for Nyx and Swanson, the plan was not enough. DULF and VANDU also publicly criticized the “Vancouver model” of drug decriminalization. They believe that “there is a lack of consideration for safe drug supply and the excessive role of the police in determining drug policy.”
“Vancouver recently proposed this decriminalization model, saying that you can have a small amount of drugs. For us, this does not really solve the crisis, because the core of it is the supply of drugs,” Nyx reflects Weekly newspaper“You cannot buy drugs anywhere in a clean, safe and regulated way.
He added: “Anytime you are doing illegal street drugs and they are not testing them, and you don’t know where to get them, you are at risk of death.” “Their plan does not solve this problem. They need What they did was copy the liquor distribution law with illegal narcotics. Failure to do so would be killing people.”
“It’s too bureaucratic for most people who really need it,” Swanson added. “It also only deals with opioids, so it will miss a lot of people, and a lot of people will continue to die.”
Weekly newspaper Contacted VANDU and the Vancouver Police Department for more comments, but did not receive a timely response.
Spencer Pratt/Getty Images
