Fear-based warnings can be effective
Re: “Scare tactics less effective in overdose crisis,” comment, Dec. 1. I appreciated reading the views of B.C.’s chief coroner expressing concern that “fear-based” public awareness campaigns are not an effective means to prevent deaths among those who are drugdependent and falling prey to the fentanyland carfentanil-poisoned drug supply.
While that might be true, when it comes to general awareness about the dangers of a poisoned drug supply, I believe there is an obligation to warn the wider public about the dangers. While warnings might not stop everyone from using drugs, history shows that warnings do work.
Just as it was vital to warn those having unprotected sex about the dangers of HIV, we must not be silent about the deathly reality of the poisoned drug supply. Especially for those who are using drugs alone and anonymously, general broadcast warnings might be the only method of reaching them.
The epidemic of deaths from the poisoned drug supply is far too important to leave the impression that the strategy most effective for the already drugdependent is all that is needed to inform the public about the dangers. The research cited by the coroner indicates that “fearbased” approaches are ineffective in modifying use by the drug-dependent.
But research also shows how effective “fear-based” approaches have been. One example is the use of gruesome photos on cigarette packages. There is no one-sizefits-all approach to laud or lambaste, and it’s important to be clear on that complexity. Joanne Thibault Victoria