This article is part two of a series about results of the drug study initiated by the qathet Community Action Team. Part one was published on January 10.
A qathet region study involving people who use drugs is important data for further understanding substance use and its ramifications in a rural and coastal setting.
Dan Snell, one of the local participants in the study, created an organization called SUSTAIN, which stands for “substance user society teaching advocacy instead of neglect,” which is a drug user advocacy group. A total of 27 people who use drugs were surveyed by a research team, headed up by Dr. Geoff Bardwell, who is affiliated with the British Columbia Centre of Substance Use, which was involved in the study.
“We collaborated with Dr. Bardwell on the research paper,” said Snell. “We helped him out with interviews.”
Snell said many of the people interviewed for the research paper are SUSTAIN members, and in the research paper, there are some quotes from study participants who are “real gems,” and there is a lot of raw data. qathet was an ideal location for the rural and remote community study, he added.
“We definitely need it,” said Snell. “We’re not the only rural community that has been hit hard but we are high on the list that are affected by the opioid crisis.
“The participants were willing to be involved in this for a multitude of reasons. We don’t have a complete census of our drug user population. Because of stigma and shame, people keep it secret. I’m hoping in the study that follows that we can get a thorough census so we can take a look at our local rate of fatalities.”
Snell said he suspects and estimates over the seven years that he’s been paying attention, about half of the opiate-using population has died.
“That’s pretty severe,” he added.
Snell said he had not analyzed the raw data generated as a result of this study but he has read the research paper. An alarming statistic, according to Snell, was the level of discrimination against people who use drugs, such as being banned from stores. He said the amount of surveillance on ferries makes it difficult for people to purchase drugs in a safe way.
“The police watch the ferries and nab people coming off of the ferries,” said Snell. “There’s a lot of added stress and anxiety. Drugs here are more expensive.”
Snell said hopefully, there will be a regulated safe supply, and the prices would also be regulated.
“That would make it safer for everybody,” he added.
Snell said the follow-up, three-year study now being launched in the community is exciting and will provide a more comprehensive picture than the first study, given its scope and duration. He said he will be participating in the enlarged study.
“I’m excited about the opportunities and information that is going to come out of it,” said Snell. “Our members are the affected population so it’s good for us to be involved.”
Group targeted rural-specific data
qathet Community Action Team (CAT) coordinator Kathryn Colby said when the organization was formed in 2018, she came on as the coordinator.
“It became clear really quickly that there wasn’t enough rural-specific data around the overdose crisis,” said Colby. “There’s not enough rural-specific data for specific barriers that anyone who uses drugs faces. A lot of the data we were using at the time came from Vancouver Coastal Health and much of that was from Vancouver or other urban centres.
“We recognized early that there was a dearth of rural-specific data and rural-specific voices in research. We know, from how many community action teams there are in the province, that most of our communities are rural and we are being asked to make up solutions that are community-specific. It’s hard to do that without good evidence and data to advocate for better resources.”
Colby said the CAT was working closely with a Vancouver Coastal Health director, who connected CAT with the BC Centre on Substance Use. The connection with Bardwell was made. Bardwell became the project lead for the study and research paper carried out in the qathet region. Colby said the research started taking place about a year and a half ago.
“Now, we have a published article based on the 27 interviews that were done that points us toward what people in qathet are facing,” said Colby. “So much of what people in our community are facing is similar and of value to other similarly sized communities.”
In reviewing the data, Colby said it is sometimes surprising what people have to say about their own experiences. In many ways, however, the study process confirmed exactly what people connected through the CAT thought.
“We can safely say our overdose crisis continues to worsen because of the stigma,” said Colby. “We know that is something that people who use drugs in our community have been saying to us for a really long time. It was eye-opening but affirming to see that it was a common experience across the board.
“We know the antidote for this overdose crisis is connection. I hope folks know that what they are experiencing is not something that is just their private experience. It’s something they can unfortunately share with others. It’s not just them.”
It is understood that this is an issue that can affect anybody, she added.
“Drugs and inebriation are common experiences for humans in this world,” said Colby. “How is it that we can make sure that we don’t tragically lose people to a poisoned, illicit supply? That’s really what we are looking at. We’re looking at it for what it is, which is a public health emergency.
“We know rural and remote communities such as ours aren’t as well-resourced and that’s why we’re here to advocate for better resources so we can bring the numbers, the per capita overdose deaths, down further.”
Colby said the past couple of years of the opioid crisis have been devastating.
“It has not only been heartbreaking, it has been utterly demoralizing,” she added.
This article is part two of a series about results of a drug study initiated by the qathet Community Action Team. Part one was published on January 10. Part three was published on March 24.
