The great fentanyl myth, and how we’re killing drug users
We know attacking supply has failed. But we let it continue
The Tyee (Canada)
Friday, January 4, 2019
Friday, January 4, 2019
Our moral failure flows from the fact that we know what to do, but accept a policy that is killing our fellow citizens. The Vancouver Police Department set out a pragmatic response in May 2017. Provide treatment on demand. Expand programs that prescribe opioids so people have a safe source of drugs, instead of sending them to risk buying poisoned supplies. Create programs that recognize the links between drug misuse and mental illness. Base the entire response on evidence about what works, not prejudices against drug users. And this week, Vancouver Coastal Health medical officer Dr. Mark Lysyshyn said all “psychoactive substances” should be regulated, not criminalized.
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