Another week, another steady stream of news about the deadly drug overdose crisis.
And if you鈥檙e a Twitter type who follows Sarah Blyth of the Overdose Prevention Society, Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott and 麻豆传媒映画Police Department Supt. Michelle Davey, you get a good sense of what鈥檚 going on 鈥� or not going on 鈥� with what has become an international story.
First up, Blyth: 鈥淥ur overdose prevention site saw 545 people yesterday. That鈥檚 the most we have seen. We are happy [that] people are choosing [to inject at the site] instead of alone.鈥�
Blyth and volunteers operate a supervised injection site out of a construction trailer in the Downtown Eastside. She and the society, which includes longtime harm reduction advocate Ann Livingston, originally set up a tent last year for users to inject drugs, despite it being against the country鈥檚 drug laws. The B.C. government, with approval from the feds, eventually allowed more 鈥渙verdose prevention sites鈥� in 麻豆传媒映画and across the province as a measure to save lives.
Now to Philpott鈥檚 tweet: 鈥淭hrilled to see C-224 鈥� Good Samaritan Act 鈥� receive Royal Assent today. This will save lives.鈥�
The Act is a new law that provides immunity from simple possession charges for witnesses who call 911 in the case of an overdose. Evidence has shown witnesses to an overdose often don鈥檛 call 911 for fear of police involvement and potential arrest for possession of drugs or outstanding warrants. (The VPD has a longstanding policy that it doesn鈥檛 attend overdose calls, but will investigate overdose deaths).
I saved Davey鈥檚 tweet for last.
That鈥檚 because the photograph she attached to her tweet was remarkable in many ways, and not so remarkable in other ways. The photograph shows what appears to be a pigeon鈥檚 nest built from several dozen hypodermic needles piled in a ratty sink.
Three small white eggs rest on top of the pile.
A colleague of hers snapped the photo in a single-room-occupancy hotel in the Downtown Eastside.
Here鈥檚 what Davey wrote: 鈥淧igeons spotted making a nest out of #needles in a #DTES SRO room. Sad reality of the #opioidcrisis聽 #fentanyl #frontline #notstaged.鈥�
Her tweet, as they say, went viral.
I guess I鈥檓 not surprised at the interest, since the conclusion here could be there are so many needles being used in the Downtown Eastside that birds are building nests out of them. Or you could conclude that some single-room-occupancy hotel rooms are in such bad shape that birds have moved in.
You鈥檇 be correct on both accounts.
The room in question was not occupied by a tenant, and Davey isn鈥檛 saying publicly in which hotel the photograph was taken. It doesn鈥檛 matter. Here鈥檚 why: Discarded needles in 麻豆传媒映画is not exactly news, nor are dilapidated, vermin-infested hotels that provide shelter for drug dealers and injection drug users.
麻豆传媒映画Coastal Health told me this week that 251,964 used needles were collected in 麻豆传媒映画last year (including many outside the Courier鈥檚 office in Mount Pleasant). As for the hotels, they are, as they did 17 years ago when I first wrote about them during my days at the 麻豆传媒映画Sun.
Here鈥檚 what then-VPD Const. Jodyne Keller said all those years ago: 鈥淔rom my investigation of these hotels, it is clear that the owners are benefiting financially at the expense of their clients鈥� health and are making no efforts to maintain an acceptable standard of living.鈥�
So, as I said, not news.
What鈥檚 sort of news here, sadly, is the three white eggs.
It鈥檚 unusual, it鈥檚 weird, it鈥檚 unsettling 鈥� I get it.
In fact, I was one of the hundreds who re-tweeted the image.
But I ask you this, Vancouver: Is a photo of a man or woman splayed out in an alley, with firefighters and paramedics injecting that person with the overdose-reversing naloxone, not worth a re-tweet anymore?
Comfortably numb is not where we want to be on this.
Then again, if three white eggs bring more attention to a mounting death toll that could surpass 500 by Christmas, then re-tweet away. I know that sounds desperate, even hopeless. Unfortunately, it鈥檚 where we are right now.
@Howellings
