Overdose Crisis in BC

Illicit drug overdoses took the lives of 914 people last year, a number that will continue to increase in 2017 if something isn’t done about British Columbia’s overdose crisis. Overdoses and drug use are nothing new to BC, but since the introduction of Fentanyl to the illicit drug market everything has changed. 142 people died in December alone, the highest number of monthly deaths the province has ever seen. These alarming statistics will continue to increase, however many people feel that the government isn’t doing enough to deal with the crisis.

Fentanyl was first detected in overdoes victims back in 2012, and has been a "game changer" for drug overdose deaths in B.C., said Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid painkiller that is up to 100 times more potent than heroin. The high potency of Fentanyl is appealing to drug traffickers because they can transport many doses in a small package. While it might be convenient for dealers and traffickers, its deadly for their customers. Even long-time experienced drug users cannot anticipate or recognize a highly potent dosage of Fentanyl, and will overdose on what they thought was a safe amount. This high potency and unpredictability is what makes Fentanyl so dangerous.

Despite the shocking statistics, there hasn’t been enough of a response from the provincial and federal government. Back in 2009 when 57 British Columbian’s died from the H1N1 Virus, the province spent $80 Million on fighting the flu. Documents obtained by the provincial NDP in November 2016 showed that the province only budgeted $5.77 Million to fight the overdose crisis that has taken hundreds and hundreds of lives. Are the lives of drug users less valuable to the provincial government?

The province might not be willing to spend allot of money right away to combat the crisis, but as the epidemic continues the cost will grow. The cost of first responders and medical staff cannot be overlooked during the overdose crisis. Everyday ambulance and fire crew respond to numerous calls related to overdoses. “You clear a call, you get another one,” paramedic Brian Twaites said during his shift. “You clear a call, you get another one.” The government continues to pay for damage control without combating the roots of the issue, and hopefully putting an end to the overdose crisis.

With an increasing death toll, and no signs of stopping, it is time to make a bigger effort to combat British Columbia’s overdose crisis. Despite the extremely high risk, drug users will continue to feed their addiction. This means the solutions must be based on harm-reduction and healthcare, rather than combating drugs as a whole.  Safe injection sites are an effective way to ensure safe drug use. Not one death has occurred in a safe injection site.
With more safe injection sites, educated users and first responders, there might be a way to end the crisis rather than patching up the damage.