Since the toxic drug crisis was declared a public health emergency in 2016, around 14,000 British Columbians have died due to unregulated drugs. In 2023, around 2,500 people died from unregulated drugs — according to the BC Coroners Service, this increase is largely due to drug toxicity.
The Ubyssey summed up each party’s platform to help UBC community members make an informed vote.
BC Conservative Party
In a September 22 media release, Conservative leader John Rustad announced the party’s commitment to closing safe injection site in the City of Richmond.
There are currently no safe injection or supervised consumption sites (SCS) in Richmond.
The party plans to recriminalize illicit substances, reversing the NDP’s decriminalization policies. In 2023, Health Canada granted BC a three-year exemption to the federal Controlled Drug and Substances Act, allowing the decriminalization of small amounts of certain illicit substances, such as heroin, morphine, fentanyl, cocaine, meth and ecstasy for personal use in private spaces, shelters, outpatient addiction clinics, supervised consumption sites and drug-checking service locations across BC.
The Conservatives said it “will shift [focus] from enabling addiction to providing life-saving treatment and recovery services” including involuntary care.
But on September 27, the party clarified it would not immediately shut down SCS or overdose prevention sites (OPS). OPS focus primarily on providing a safe space for substance use to prevent overdoses, while SCS provide a broader range of health services, including medical supervision, counselling and access to treatment programs.
According to Dr. Michael John Milloy, a UBC assistant professor and researcher in social medicine at the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, finding an alternative for toxic drugs is the number one priority for many people who use drugs.
“Supervised injection facilities like Insite, showed scientific evaluation that people who use Insite were far more likely to get into detox, to get into rehab, than people who were not using Insite,” said Milloy.
Insite Supervised Injection Site is the closest SCS to UBC’s Point Grey campus.
“We have a regulated supply of alcohol, we have a regulated supply of tobacco, we have a regulated supply of cannabis. That doesn’t mean the problems of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis will go away, but it does protect people from using substances … that are contaminated,” said Milloy. “That’s the root of the overdose crisis.”
BC Green Party
The BC Green Party wants “to implement a regulated drug supply and support robust harm reduction services” when it comes to substance use.
Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau criticized other parties for “vague promises” on drug policy and the importance of evidence-based treatment, prevention and education, according to CityNews reporting.
If elected, the Greens plan to propose a “demedicalized model” to provide “regulated, pharmaceutical alternatives to the illicit drug market to reduce fatalities associated with substance use.” The party said it will also explore non-prescriber models in collaboration with health authorities and advocacy groups. It also aims to reduce stigma and improve access to regulated drugs, providing safer options to people at risk of overdose.
In addition to harm reduction, the Greens intend to regulate treatment and recovery programs by establishing evidence-based standards and creating a centralized database to ensure quality care. A key part of its platform is enhancing drug education and mental health support in schools.
Milloy said small projects have previously successfully handed out regulated alternatives.
“There’s a group called the Drug User Liberation Front … [it’s] a plausible way of providing a regulated alternative to people so that they don’t die from the unregulated drugs,” said Milloy. “But it is largely an unregulated field which needs standards and enforcement and things of that nature.”
“The reflex in our society is for people not to talk about these things, and that makes things worse, because it puts the pressure on the individual to change ... the evidence tells us that we need society to change.”
BC NDP
Since 2017, the BC NDP has expanded harm reduction services across the province. In 2020, the NDP government introduced a prescribed safe supply program, which allowed people access to prescribed opioids as a safer alternative to unregulated substances. The province also facilitated BC's three-year exemption to the federal Controlled Drug and Substances Act.
BC NDP leader and Premier David Eby told the CBC that drug decriminalization “didn’t work” because of an increase in substance use in public spaces like hospitals and transit.
If elected, the NDP plans to provide involuntary care for people struggling with addiction, brain injuries and mental illness. This includes establishing long-term care at secure regional facilities under the Mental Health Act.
In response to involuntary care, Milloy said “it’s stupendously clear to me that if you do not have consent from someone, it is not treatment. That is the foundation of our medical system.
“We’re only allowed to treat people who consent to that truth.”
“I’m very concerned about the possibility of negative unintended consequences where people who are involuntarily treated leave and then go back to a toxic drug supply.”
This article is part of The Ubyssey's 2024 provincial elections coverage.
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