It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee
By Maninder Gill
The BC Coroner Service’s report of 2511 illicit drug-related deaths are a damning indictment of BC Government’s “safe supply’ policies.
The death toll due to toxic drugs is rising every year despite the fact that BC has declared deaths due to overdose as public health emergency since 2016. The number has shocked the conscience of British Columbians, but failed to yield a nuanced response from the government which is adamant on expanding the “safe supply’ program for hard drugs.
The rationale behind “safe supply” was to reduce deaths due to toxic drugs by taking those facing addiction problems away from street drugs, providing sufficient window to the health care system for intervention. It seems a compelling narrative on the paper, but when tested empirically it has miserably failed.
The government has tried to convince us in the past that “safe” supply is the most potent tool to break the toxic drug ecosystem, while conveniently ignoring its duty to prevent the flow of illicit drugs into BC.
The BC NDP has turned a blind eye towards seaports and other porous points of entry. Drug cartels are freely operating in BC, flooding our streets with toxic drugs, while the government is “reiterating” its belief in “safe” supply. Startling media reports about the export of narcotics to Australia and New Zealand should prompt the provincial government and the federal government to action. BC is fast gaining notoriety as a global epicentre of drug smuggling.
The initiative taken by Delta Mayor George Harvey to have the Port Police restored is praiseworthy and has been well received in the community. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth has termed it as a “big step ahead”, but it remains to be seen when things will move.
The staggering number of deaths should have stimulated the government to order a review of the “safe” supply program, which has now come under the cloud after the discovery that the safe supply drugs are being diverted by criminal networks and drug cartels.
Two independent RCMP investigations in Prince George have seized tens of thousands of prescription pills, bringing to light a blatant diversion of safe supply program.
Despite the flagging of the issue by the Alberta Premier that these leakages of
prescribed safe supply drugs could adversely affect her Province, BC Premier chose to downplay the issue. These investigations have vindicated the detractors of this program and ignited a renewed debate about the use of public resources. Should the Province use its resources for treatment and recovery of those in need or should they continue with expanding the “safe” supply’?
Numbers do not lie, the number of overdose deaths before NDP brought the “safe supply” policies was 994 in 2016, it has more than doubled after “safe supply” and decriminalization.
Decriminalization of drug possession by the NDP government is not yielding the desired results of removing stigma from drug users. It has denied the police forces one of the few tools of deterrence it had to stop drug peddling.
The Government’s ban on the use of drugs at public places is also caught in a legal challenge, leaving our streets vulnerable to drug-fueled crimes and random violence. Public parks have become unsafe for children as one can find used injections lying here and there.
British Columbians are increasingly speaking out against these woke drug policies of the BC NDP. The City of Richmond faced a pushback from its residents when they were clearing the way to open a so-called “safe” injection site for drug users.
The local community opposed this move as they believed it would bring chaos to their streets. A protest was organized against this proposed facility, where the protestors faced racial slurs from radical far-left activists who are hell-bent to intimidate and browbeat any opposition to their woke worldview.
After the Richmond experience, there is a sense of uneasiness in the Surrey community. Will the BC NDP turn the Skytrain blueline into a corridor of a “safe” supply of drugs? Or will the next °safe” supply facility be opened at Surrey Central? There is a lot of speculation.
The BC NOP should not push the woke drug policies championed by its core voter base, policies should b guided by empirical evidence.
(Maninder Gill is Managing Director of Radio India)
