Have you been affected by the toxic drug emergency in BC? More than 6 British Columbians die from drug poisoning every day. Folks on VanIsle have lost friends, neighbours, and loved ones.
Now’s your chance to talk directly to the government about it.
The provincial government is looking for input on what they should do to keep people alive and healthy.
The public consultation will allow folks to make up to 4 recommendations, but the survey is only open until August 5th.
You can fill out the survey here.
The real question, though, is this: why is the government still looking for advice when they’ve gotten (and mostly ignored) so much professional advice as it is?
Folks like Karen Ward have been telling government how to fix the drug crisis for years. She’s a drug policy advisor in Vancouver. And she’s fed up.
Her biggest idea? Regulate drugs. Regulate drugs the way we regulate booze. That way folks know what they’re putting in their bodies.
Imagine yelling the solution to a huge problem for years and years and having no one listen? Wouldn’t you also be fed up?
BC is on track to hit last year’s record of 2,265 deaths from drug poisoning. That’s not a record we should be proud of.
Aside from old age, drug poisoning is now the most common way to die in BC.
If you combine all other deaths, like car crashes, murder, suicides, fire deaths AND drownings, they still don’t compare to the number of people dying from an unsafe drug supply.
That’s a tragedy, and it doesn’t need to continue.
Tell our government to listen to the advice from folks who know by filling out the survey.
