I start each workday at the Victoria Police Department by reading the fatal overdose reports from the night before. People continue to die in homeless shelters, parks and on the street. But the majority of fatal overdoses occur in a private residence like an apartment or house, 57 per cent in 2019. Of course, both men and woman are affected, but men die at much greater rates. Particularly those aged 30 to 59.
“Mark” fit into that group. He cut hair at a downtown barbershop. We got to talking one day when I happened in for a haircut. When he learned that I was a drug investigator, he was open about his story. He had surgery on a leg injury. During the recovery he developed an addiction to pain medication. When the meds were finally cut off by his doctors, he turned to heroin. A tragic but common tale. Some addiction research indicates as many as four out of five heroin users started with prescription narcotics.
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The next step might be access to a safe supply of drugs for those people with opioid use disorder. This is already happening at the Crosstown clinic in Vancouver, where pre-screened patients receive daily doses of medical grade heroin or hydromorphone. But they must use these drugs on site, tying them to the routine of visiting the clinic throughout the day. So, a pilot project will soon begin that allows patients to access hydromorphone pills which can be taken home. Without having to turn to fentanyl-laced street drugs, the chance of overdose is significantly reduced.
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