Eris Nyx, co-founder of the Drug User Liberation Front – a collective of advocacy groups working to ensure a safe supply of drugs – said regulating illegal supply is the answer to stopping drug toxicity deaths, which have topped 10,000 in British Columbia since the province declared a public health emergency more than six years ago. “These people are our friends, members of our community, people we love, people we care deeply about and we lose them every day. And the cause of these deaths is the release and unplanned purchase of illegal drugs,” said Nyx. Wednesday. Nyx spoke at a press conference on World Overdose Awareness Day, saying the groups are also seeking a judicial review of Health Canada’s decision, on the grounds that it failed to take into account rights to life and equality. DULF and the Vancouver Area Drug Users Network requested a temporary Criminal Code exemption from Health Canada to operate a hard drug compassion club model last year. Dismissed on July 29th. But Nyx said the compassion club and cocaine, heroin and meth fulfillment center has been operating for a month, distributing 201 grams of the drug without an overdose or death. A march and rally organized by the Vancouver Area Drug Users Network marked International Overdose Awareness on Wednesday, August 31st. (Ben Nelms/CBC) The group is pursuing a do-it-yourself model of community regulation that Nyx said could be expanded across the province with approval. “What we have is a regulation problem. What we have is a failure of the prohibition regime. And that failure doesn’t make it a criminal issue or a medical issue, that failure makes it a political issue,” Nyx said. During a rally on East Hastings Street in Vancouver on Wednesday, World Overdose Awareness Day, participants pause to remember loved ones lost in the poisoned drug supply crisis. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Health Canada was not immediately available for comment, but a statement on Overdose Awareness Day said the government is investing in safe supply programs, supervised consumption sites and drug screening technologies. Last year was the worst year on record for opioid overdoses in Canada, with about 21 people dying each day, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said in their joint statement.
Decriminalizing small amounts of drugs not enough: advocates
British Columbia is set to become the first province in Canada to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of hard drugs in January after receiving a federal exemption in May. This means that people over 18 will not face criminal penalties for possessing a total of 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy. But speakers at Wednesday’s mock press conference said the amount was insignificant and meant those working to distribute safe supply would still be criminalised. Participants in a march on Vancouver’s East Hastings Street to mark International Overdose Awareness Day take a break on the sidewalk. With more than 10,000 deaths due to toxic drugs since 2016, many community groups are calling on the province to expand drug decriminalization and provide a safe supply. (Ben Nelms/CBC) “Imagine if the ban on alcohol had continued and the entire illegal supply of alcohol was unpredictable to the point where if you opened a bottle or a can of alcohol and drank from it, it could kill you,” Nyx said. “The government’s response, the equivalent response, would be that you can go to your doctor and they’ll prescribe you three light beers. That’s a silly scenario. We need to change the way we approach this crisis.” Fred Cameron, of the SOLID Outreach Society in Victoria, said rising deaths since the 1990s showed the problem was with supply. “What’s different then and now – there weren’t better abstinence supports or better consumption services. The drug wasn’t poisonous,” he said. “There’s one major issue that’s causing all of this, and we’re dealing with everything but it as a system.” People will always do drugs, he said, so the priority should be to make sure drugs are as safe as possible. The press conference was one of many events throughout the BC. and Canada recognizing Overdose Awareness Day. Metro Vancouver landmarks were to be lit up purple to mark the day, while the lives lost were to be commemorated at Holland Park in Surrey, about an hour’s drive southeast of Vancouver.
Other officials, organizations weigh in
Sheila Malcolmson, BC’s minister of mental health and addictions, released a statement, saying it was a day of mourning with the families and friends who lost loved ones. “This loss is shared by peer workers, paramedics, firefighters, police officers and all those on the front lines of this terrible crisis,” the statement said. Rising toxicity is outpacing the addition of overdose prevention services, despite an unprecedented number of new treatment and harm reduction services, he said. A staff member holds a naloxone kit – a tool to temporarily block the effects of opiates – outside St. Paul’s in Vancouver on International Overdose Awareness Day. (Ben Nelms/CBC) The Civil Liberties Union of BC called for the complete decriminalization of all drug possession for personal use, as well as the distribution or sale of drugs for subsistence, to support personal drug use expenses, or to provide a safe supply. The Association of Indian Chiefs of BC noted that First Nations people were 5.4 times more likely to fatally overdose than others and said the crisis is a symptom of unaddressed, long-term problems. “We demand safe and affordable housing, mental and physical health systems free of racism and discrimination, accessible socioeconomic services to support people in crisis, and a full range of culturally appropriate substance use services to meet the needs of all people who use drugs,” Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said in a statement.
title: “Bc Compassion Club Distributes Hard Drugs In Bid To Save Lives Despite Health Canada Rejection Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-15” author: “Gary Bake”
Eris Nyx, co-founder of the Drug User Liberation Front – a collective of advocacy groups working to ensure a safe supply of drugs – said regulating illegal supply is the answer to stopping drug toxicity deaths, which have topped 10,000 in British Columbia since the province declared a public health emergency more than six years ago. “These people are our friends, members of our community, people we love, people we care deeply about and we lose them every day. And the cause of these deaths is the release and unplanned purchase of illegal drugs,” said Nyx. Wednesday. Nyx spoke at a press conference on World Overdose Awareness Day, saying the groups are also seeking a judicial review of Health Canada’s decision, on the grounds that it failed to take into account rights to life and equality. DULF and the Vancouver Area Drug Users Network requested a temporary Criminal Code exemption from Health Canada to operate a hard drug compassion club model last year. Dismissed on July 29th. But Nyx said the compassion club and cocaine, heroin and meth fulfillment center has been operating for a month, distributing 201 grams of the drug without an overdose or death. A march and rally organized by the Vancouver Area Drug Users Network marked International Overdose Awareness on Wednesday, August 31st. (Ben Nelms/CBC) The group is pursuing a do-it-yourself model of community regulation that Nyx said could be expanded across the province with approval. “What we have is a regulation problem. What we have is a failure of the prohibition regime. And that failure doesn’t make it a criminal issue or a medical issue, that failure makes it a political issue,” Nyx said. During a rally on East Hastings Street in Vancouver on Wednesday, World Overdose Awareness Day, participants pause to remember loved ones lost in the poisoned drug supply crisis. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Health Canada was not immediately available for comment, but a statement on Overdose Awareness Day said the government is investing in safe supply programs, supervised consumption sites and drug screening technologies. Last year was the worst year on record for opioid overdoses in Canada, with about 21 people dying each day, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said in their joint statement.
Decriminalizing small amounts of drugs not enough: advocates
British Columbia is set to become the first province in Canada to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of hard drugs in January after receiving a federal exemption in May. This means that people over 18 will not face criminal penalties for possessing a total of 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy. But speakers at Wednesday’s mock press conference said the amount was insignificant and meant those working to distribute safe supply would still be criminalised. Participants in a march on Vancouver’s East Hastings Street to mark International Overdose Awareness Day take a break on the sidewalk. With more than 10,000 deaths due to toxic drugs since 2016, many community groups are calling on the province to expand drug decriminalization and provide a safe supply. (Ben Nelms/CBC) “Imagine if the ban on alcohol had continued and the entire illegal supply of alcohol was unpredictable to the point where if you opened a bottle or a can of alcohol and drank from it, it could kill you,” Nyx said. “The government’s response, the equivalent response, would be that you can go to your doctor and they’ll prescribe you three light beers. That’s a silly scenario. We need to change the way we approach this crisis.” Fred Cameron, of the SOLID Outreach Society in Victoria, said rising deaths since the 1990s showed the problem was with supply. “What’s different then and now – there weren’t better abstinence supports or better consumption services. The drug wasn’t poisonous,” he said. “There’s one major issue that’s causing all of this, and we’re dealing with everything but it as a system.” People will always do drugs, he said, so the priority should be to make sure drugs are as safe as possible. The press conference was one of many events throughout the BC. and Canada recognizing Overdose Awareness Day. Metro Vancouver landmarks were to be lit up purple to mark the day, while the lives lost were to be commemorated at Holland Park in Surrey, about an hour’s drive southeast of Vancouver.
Other officials, organizations weigh in
Sheila Malcolmson, BC’s minister of mental health and addictions, released a statement, saying it was a day of mourning with the families and friends who lost loved ones. “This loss is shared by peer workers, paramedics, firefighters, police officers and all those on the front lines of this terrible crisis,” the statement said. Rising toxicity is outpacing the addition of overdose prevention services, despite an unprecedented number of new treatment and harm reduction services, he said. A staff member holds a naloxone kit – a tool to temporarily block the effects of opiates – outside St. Paul’s in Vancouver on International Overdose Awareness Day. (Ben Nelms/CBC) The Civil Liberties Union of BC called for the complete decriminalization of all drug possession for personal use, as well as the distribution or sale of drugs for subsistence, to support personal drug use expenses, or to provide a safe supply. The Association of Indian Chiefs of BC noted that First Nations people were 5.4 times more likely to fatally overdose than others and said the crisis is a symptom of unaddressed, long-term problems. “We demand safe and affordable housing, mental and physical health systems free of racism and discrimination, accessible socioeconomic services to support people in crisis, and a full range of culturally appropriate substance use services to meet the needs of all people who use drugs,” Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said in a statement.
title: “Bc Compassion Club Distributes Hard Drugs In Bid To Save Lives Despite Health Canada Rejection Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-30” author: “Aida Baker”
Eris Nyx, co-founder of the Drug User Liberation Front – a collective of advocacy groups working to ensure a safe supply of drugs – said regulating illegal supply is the answer to stopping drug toxicity deaths, which have topped 10,000 in British Columbia since the province declared a public health emergency more than six years ago. “These people are our friends, members of our community, people we love, people we care deeply about and we lose them every day. And the cause of these deaths is the release and unplanned purchase of illegal drugs,” said Nyx. Wednesday. Nyx spoke at a press conference on World Overdose Awareness Day, saying the groups are also seeking a judicial review of Health Canada’s decision, on the grounds that it failed to take into account rights to life and equality. DULF and the Vancouver Area Drug Users Network requested a temporary Criminal Code exemption from Health Canada to operate a hard drug compassion club model last year. Dismissed on July 29th. But Nyx said the compassion club and cocaine, heroin and meth fulfillment center has been operating for a month, distributing 201 grams of the drug without an overdose or death. A march and rally organized by the Vancouver Area Drug Users Network marked International Overdose Awareness on Wednesday, August 31st. (Ben Nelms/CBC) The group is pursuing a do-it-yourself model of community regulation that Nyx said could be expanded across the province with approval. “What we have is a regulation problem. What we have is a failure of the prohibition regime. And that failure doesn’t make it a criminal issue or a medical issue, that failure makes it a political issue,” Nyx said. During a rally on East Hastings Street in Vancouver on Wednesday, World Overdose Awareness Day, participants pause to remember loved ones lost in the poisoned drug supply crisis. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Health Canada was not immediately available for comment, but a statement on Overdose Awareness Day said the government is investing in safe supply programs, supervised consumption sites and drug screening technologies. Last year was the worst year on record for opioid overdoses in Canada, with about 21 people dying each day, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said in their joint statement.
Decriminalizing small amounts of drugs not enough: advocates
British Columbia is set to become the first province in Canada to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of hard drugs in January after receiving a federal exemption in May. This means that people over 18 will not face criminal penalties for possessing a total of 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy. But speakers at Wednesday’s mock press conference said the amount was insignificant and meant those working to distribute safe supply would still be criminalised. Participants in a march on Vancouver’s East Hastings Street to mark International Overdose Awareness Day take a break on the sidewalk. With more than 10,000 deaths due to toxic drugs since 2016, many community groups are calling on the province to expand drug decriminalization and provide a safe supply. (Ben Nelms/CBC) “Imagine if the ban on alcohol had continued and the entire illegal supply of alcohol was unpredictable to the point where if you opened a bottle or a can of alcohol and drank from it, it could kill you,” Nyx said. “The government’s response, the equivalent response, would be that you can go to your doctor and they’ll prescribe you three light beers. That’s a silly scenario. We need to change the way we approach this crisis.” Fred Cameron, of the SOLID Outreach Society in Victoria, said rising deaths since the 1990s showed the problem was with supply. “What’s different then and now – there weren’t better abstinence supports or better consumption services. The drug wasn’t poisonous,” he said. “There’s one major issue that’s causing all of this, and we’re dealing with everything but it as a system.” People will always do drugs, he said, so the priority should be to make sure drugs are as safe as possible. The press conference was one of many events throughout the BC. and Canada recognizing Overdose Awareness Day. Metro Vancouver landmarks were to be lit up purple to mark the day, while the lives lost were to be commemorated at Holland Park in Surrey, about an hour’s drive southeast of Vancouver.
Other officials, organizations weigh in
Sheila Malcolmson, BC’s minister of mental health and addictions, released a statement, saying it was a day of mourning with the families and friends who lost loved ones. “This loss is shared by peer workers, paramedics, firefighters, police officers and all those on the front lines of this terrible crisis,” the statement said. Rising toxicity is outpacing the addition of overdose prevention services, despite an unprecedented number of new treatment and harm reduction services, he said. A staff member holds a naloxone kit – a tool to temporarily block the effects of opiates – outside St. Paul’s in Vancouver on International Overdose Awareness Day. (Ben Nelms/CBC) The Civil Liberties Union of BC called for the complete decriminalization of all drug possession for personal use, as well as the distribution or sale of drugs for subsistence, to support personal drug use expenses, or to provide a safe supply. The Association of Indian Chiefs of BC noted that First Nations people were 5.4 times more likely to fatally overdose than others and said the crisis is a symptom of unaddressed, long-term problems. “We demand safe and affordable housing, mental and physical health systems free of racism and discrimination, accessible socioeconomic services to support people in crisis, and a full range of culturally appropriate substance use services to meet the needs of all people who use drugs,” Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said in a statement.
title: “Bc Compassion Club Distributes Hard Drugs In Bid To Save Lives Despite Health Canada Rejection Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-05” author: “Willie Sampson”
Eris Nyx, co-founder of the Drug User Liberation Front – a collective of advocacy groups working to ensure a safe supply of drugs – said regulating illegal supply is the answer to stopping drug toxicity deaths, which have topped 10,000 in British Columbia since the province declared a public health emergency more than six years ago. “These people are our friends, members of our community, people we love, people we care deeply about and we lose them every day. And the cause of these deaths is the release and unplanned purchase of illegal drugs,” said Nyx. Wednesday. Nyx spoke at a press conference on World Overdose Awareness Day, saying the groups are also seeking a judicial review of Health Canada’s decision, on the grounds that it failed to take into account rights to life and equality. DULF and the Vancouver Area Drug Users Network requested a temporary Criminal Code exemption from Health Canada to operate a hard drug compassion club model last year. Dismissed on July 29th. But Nyx said the compassion club and cocaine, heroin and meth fulfillment center has been operating for a month, distributing 201 grams of the drug without an overdose or death. A march and rally organized by the Vancouver Area Drug Users Network marked International Overdose Awareness on Wednesday, August 31st. (Ben Nelms/CBC) The group is pursuing a do-it-yourself model of community regulation that Nyx said could be expanded across the province with approval. “What we have is a regulation problem. What we have is a failure of the prohibition regime. And that failure doesn’t make it a criminal issue or a medical issue, that failure makes it a political issue,” Nyx said. During a rally on East Hastings Street in Vancouver on Wednesday, World Overdose Awareness Day, participants pause to remember loved ones lost in the poisoned drug supply crisis. (Ben Nelms/CBC) Health Canada was not immediately available for comment, but a statement on Overdose Awareness Day said the government is investing in safe supply programs, supervised consumption sites and drug screening technologies. Last year was the worst year on record for opioid overdoses in Canada, with about 21 people dying each day, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said in their joint statement.
Decriminalizing small amounts of drugs not enough: advocates
British Columbia is set to become the first province in Canada to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of hard drugs in January after receiving a federal exemption in May. This means that people over 18 will not face criminal penalties for possessing a total of 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy. But speakers at Wednesday’s mock press conference said the amount was insignificant and meant those working to distribute safe supply would still be criminalised. Participants in a march on Vancouver’s East Hastings Street to mark International Overdose Awareness Day take a break on the sidewalk. With more than 10,000 deaths due to toxic drugs since 2016, many community groups are calling on the province to expand drug decriminalization and provide a safe supply. (Ben Nelms/CBC) “Imagine if the ban on alcohol had continued and the entire illegal supply of alcohol was unpredictable to the point where if you opened a bottle or a can of alcohol and drank from it, it could kill you,” Nyx said. “The government’s response, the equivalent response, would be that you can go to your doctor and they’ll prescribe you three light beers. That’s a silly scenario. We need to change the way we approach this crisis.” Fred Cameron, of the SOLID Outreach Society in Victoria, said rising deaths since the 1990s showed the problem was with supply. “What’s different then and now – there weren’t better abstinence supports or better consumption services. The drug wasn’t poisonous,” he said. “There’s one major issue that’s causing all of this, and we’re dealing with everything but it as a system.” People will always do drugs, he said, so the priority should be to make sure drugs are as safe as possible. The press conference was one of many events throughout the BC. and Canada recognizing Overdose Awareness Day. Metro Vancouver landmarks were to be lit up purple to mark the day, while the lives lost were to be commemorated at Holland Park in Surrey, about an hour’s drive southeast of Vancouver.
Other officials, organizations weigh in
Sheila Malcolmson, BC’s minister of mental health and addictions, released a statement, saying it was a day of mourning with the families and friends who lost loved ones. “This loss is shared by peer workers, paramedics, firefighters, police officers and all those on the front lines of this terrible crisis,” the statement said. Rising toxicity is outpacing the addition of overdose prevention services, despite an unprecedented number of new treatment and harm reduction services, he said. A staff member holds a naloxone kit – a tool to temporarily block the effects of opiates – outside St. Paul’s in Vancouver on International Overdose Awareness Day. (Ben Nelms/CBC) The Civil Liberties Union of BC called for the complete decriminalization of all drug possession for personal use, as well as the distribution or sale of drugs for subsistence, to support personal drug use expenses, or to provide a safe supply. The Association of Indian Chiefs of BC noted that First Nations people were 5.4 times more likely to fatally overdose than others and said the crisis is a symptom of unaddressed, long-term problems. “We demand safe and affordable housing, mental and physical health systems free of racism and discrimination, accessible socioeconomic services to support people in crisis, and a full range of culturally appropriate substance use services to meet the needs of all people who use drugs,” Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said in a statement.
