Addiction centres a crucial first step

B.C.’s mental health and addictions minister, Sheila Malcolmson, wants Ottawa to decriminalize possession of small amounts of illicit drugs. Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe agrees, as does Dr. Bonnie Henry and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

In this context, “decriminalizing” means that criminal sanctions, like a prison sentence, are removed, but possession could still result in noncriminal penalties, such as fines.

Trafficking and making illicit drugs would remain prohibited.

The strongest argument in its favour is that the current regime has been a miserable failure.

B.C. recorded 1,716 fatalities from illicit drug overdoses last year, the overwhelming majority involving men between 19 and 59 most of whom died in their homes.

Provincewide, that death toll exceeded fatalities last year caused by car crashes, suicides and homicides combined. Indeed, it exceeded by a large margin all of the COVID19 deaths in our province to date.

If the war on drugs were a real war, we would long ago have hoisted the white flag and surrendered. Whatever objections there are to this proposal, that fact must be faced. Nevertheless, there are challenges to be met if decriminalization is chosen.

First, if illicit drugs such as fentanyl become more readily available, might that not lead to an increase in overdose deaths?

Could it be that by withdrawing the threat of criminal proceedings, and the associated stigma, some people might be encouraged to experiment with these drugs?

Second, this proposal can only succeed if far more sophisticated and intensive treatment options for addicts are set up. Few clinics in B.C. offer a full range of pharmaceutical and rehabilitation services.

Crosstown Clinic in Vancouver is one. Beyond dispensing prescription heroin to ween clients from more addictive drugs, it offers assistance in finding housing and work. Counsellors are available to help clients reintegrate into the community; however, as it stands, the clinic can only treat roughly 200 clients a year. By some estimates, between 3,000 and 6,000 people provincewide will need this form of therapy after decriminalization.

This is an enormous undertaking. It costs about $27,000 to treat each client at Crosstown. If services of this kind were extended to the full range of eligible clients, the all-in cost would be somewhere between $80 million and $160 million annually. Is B.C. prepared for this?

And more than money will be required. Scores, if not hundreds, of new staff members would be needed to operate these facilities. Can they be recruited?

The issue comes down to this: Research in European countries, Denmark and Switzerland among them, shows the kind of extended treatment offered by clinics like Crosstown does work.

The same research also shows that decriminalization does not automatically lead to a surge in the consumption of illicit drugs.

In addition, there are benefits to the broader community, in terms of reduced crime rates, and relieving the strain on law enforcement.

But, and this is the key, those results are only achieved if the necessary treatment programs are put in place before decriminalization.

We need to hear B.C. understands this, and are fully prepared to take the necessary measures. Otherwise, little will be gained.

Maybe our federal, provincial and city lawmakers should forfeit their salaries they are still receiving, while making laws to forfeit yours.

Quarantine is restricting movement of sick people for a time. Tyranny is restricting movement imposed on healthy people forever if they chose. Time to red pill.