The BCCLA joins the Drug User Liberation Front and other drug-using organizations in calling on the Federal Government to immediately provide a model for safe supply of drugs.
Last year, 1716 people lost their lives to deadly drugs in B.C. Indigenous people have been the hardest hit by this preventable tragedy. Last year, the rate of overdose deaths among First Nations was 5.5 times higher than others.
The scientific evidence is clear: a safe supply of drugs will save lives. The Federal Health Minister, academic institutions, police forces, B.C. Premier John Horgan, the Provincial Health Officer Doctor Bonnie Henry, and addictions medicine experts have all recognized the need for a safe supply model.
The Health Minister has the power to immediately:
- Facilitate, fund, and support de facto Compassion Clubs in B.C. that can legally distribute clean, safe drugs to pre-screened adults.
- Exempt all people who access or provide life-saving support at a Compassion Club from criminal consequences including charges of possession and trafficking. (Under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act)
People who use drugs feel abandoned and have reached a breaking point. Another death is unacceptable.
