Thanks to the Patricia Theatre and Cinema Politica for recently screening Toxic, an eye-opening documentary about the opioid/fentanyl crisis.
Absent, apparently, were the people who most need to see it – politicians who peddle the idea that "treatment, not drugs" is the solution. As if this were an either/or option.
As the film clarifies, a short-term treatment program leaving former users without skills or social supports is not a recipe for lasting success.
The option of supplying safe drugs for verified users to replace the deadly street junk would save lives and undercut the lethal black market. It would also reduce costs compared to repeatedly calling on first responders to deal with overdose emergencies.
Think twice before blaming users of addictive drugs. The film reveals that one of the largest groups of users is older men who became addicted to painkillers following workplace injuries. They could be members of your family.
Many others turned to drugs as a way to ease the pain of trauma and/or abuse.
Blaming users also ignores the pivotal role of pharmaceutical companies in misleadingly marketing opioids that they knew to be addictive – which led to an inter-provincial effort to sue Big Pharma, including $150 million from Purdue, for associated public health costs.
After living next to an emergency shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic, I'm still learning about the complexities of the crisis. The solutions must surely include supportive communities and social networks, stable housing and mental health resources – with meaningful consultation to address the concerns of nearby businesses and residents.
All told, such measures take us well beyond the simplistic pseudosolutions of pandering politicians.
Robert Hackett is a Westview Ratepayers Society member.
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