There were 127 overdose deaths in the Fraser Health region in the first six months of this year, including 10 from fentanyl in nearby Maple Ridge.
In April, the B.C. government declared its first-ever public health emergency to deal with the sharply rising cases of opioid drug overdoses across the province.
Over the July 16 weekend, there were 36 overdoses in Surrey alone over two days. The weekend before that, five people ODed at a house party in Coquitlam, their lives possibly saved because a resident of the home returned late at night and called 911.
Now, Fraser Health is looking to add supervised injection sites in city centres.
There are two supervised injection sites in Vancouver. Insite became North America’s first legal clinic in 2003 and operates under Vancouver Coastal Health, which provides all funding and senior administrative and health-care workers.
An article by Julio Montaner and Thomas Kerr of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS said peer-reviewed studies have shown Insite saves lives and health-care money, reduces disease transmission, and promotes entry into addiction treatment. They said peer-reviewed studies done by researchers from Canada, Australia, Britain and the U.S. show Insite does not increase crime or perpetuate active drug use.
Under the federal Respect for Communities Act passed by the former Conservative government, proposed consumption sites seeking an exemption must be backed by extensive documentation, including support letters from the local municipality and police force. It should be repealed, as requested by health officials.
Fentanyl is being mixed in and passed off as other drugs because it is cheaper, and people — addicts and recreational drug users — are dying from it at an alarming rate.
Sites for safe injection sites will be chosen based on where the most benefit is possible, using data on overdoses, as well as fatalities from the B.C. Coroners Service.
This is an idea, unfortunately, whose time has come in the Fraser Health region.
– Maple Ridge News
