that line is about to bust through the graph.
there is no reason to hope that it will change course, as the situation stands now. hope is actually not helpful.
this is the provincial coroner’s update on illicit drug toxicity deaths in british columbia to the end of February 2021.
remember in last month’s update, it was 165 deaths in january? nine have been added. 155 in february, for an average of 165.
take a deep breath and also remember those who are uncounted, those who suffered catastrophic neurological harm from oxygen deprivation, those who survived but will never recover and are uncounted
its so much worse than 2017 or 2018. and when 2017 or 2018 is your closest comparison and the provincial government takes a wait-and-see approach – thinks they can wait it out – that tells me that they don’t understand this at all, and that we are all going to die.
this means over 2000 deaths in 2021 in BC.
look at these other “Unnatural” deaths – add them up and its still not close. “unnatural” means “preventable”, for the most part. but as ours are deaths caused by drug policy (not drugs), these deaths are the predictable consequences of choices we have made, and continue to make:
these are social murders, mass killings by structural violence, amplified in these COVIDtimes:
“when society places hundreds …in such a position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural death, one which is quite as much a death by violence as that by the sword or bullet, murder it remains” (Engels 1845) on Social Murder
stop murdering the younger generations, stop killing your children, think of the children.
holy fucken hell.
look at northern health.
This map illustrating the regional mortality rates for overdose/poisoning deaths in The Best Place on Earth is almost meaningless as almost every region’s rate is above the highest threshold.
almost half of the deaths in the Vancouver Coastal region occur in “other” residences: supportive housing, SROs, shelters… that’s the DTES: we must mandate harm reduction as a principle of building design and housing management – as part of what accessibility means. people reject this housing because they don’t want to die. it is not accessible. we must change this.
“
“More illicit drug toxicity deaths occurred during the days following income assistance payment (Wed-Sun) than all other days in 2020-21.”
except last april. the first month of the $300 topup.
raise the rates and stop cheque day (for anyone who wants their $ on a schedule they choose) raise the damn rates and stop dumping all the legal money on all the poor people on the same day.
WHERE DID THIS 10.5 MILLION DOLLARS GO THAT WAS ANNOUNCED ON AUGUST 4 2020
was the $ “used to open 17 new supervised consumption services and 12 new inhalation services in communities hit the hardest by the overdose crisis”?
and where is the safe supply. because every day 5+ people die, you dont announce their deaths solemnly, and you do less. you know “treatment” just means dignified health care, right? you seem more interested in the unregulated treatment indu$try.
today is day 1,806 of the overdose emergency. april 14 will be its fifth year. dont say you’re heartbroken and do nothing. it doesnt have to be this way.
there’s a few other things to say but lets take a few minutes
DON’T SAY IT
i dont think you understand whats happening here. i feel sick.
oh you dont understand this at all.
ACTUALLY. YOU ARE THE GOVERNMENT AND *CAN* REGULATE THE DRUG SUPPLY.
please tell your MLA that you dont want the daily human ritual executions of 5+ people to continue expand Safe Supply through regulation now & Decriminalize, amend the police act. raise the rates to the *poverty line* and yeah housing now.
i am scared for all you.
in the aftertimes you are going to be messed up. so will the youngers. you will suffer from anxiety and insomnia and loneliness and other mental health problems, and chronic, searing pain.
because you are human you will want to feel better, or even good. you will want drugs.
you dont want to go through what we have been through. you dont want this.
this tree broke from the weight of the toys, each one memorializing someone who had died.
please write your MLA. this emergency cant go on.
