Today, August 31, marks International Overdose Prevention Day.

This was an important day for La Boussole, as it has now been more than 7 years since a state of health emergency related to opioids was declared in British Columbia. Time goes by and the situation unfortunately doesn't get any better; worse, it gets worse every year.

Since April 2016 more than 12,739 people have died as a result of "overdoses" in British Columbia. More than overdoses, in many cases they are actually poisoning, as the substances on the market are intoxicated with other products, sometimes not even containing the substance consumers are looking for. The month of July 2023 set a sad record, becoming the 13th consecutive month in which more than 190 people died for lack of access to safe drugs. In British Columbia, it's the leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 59, accounting for more deaths than all homicides, suicides, accidents and natural diseases combined.

While the harm reduction policies that would save all these lives have long been known to public authorities, it would seem that, despite this macabre situation, decision-makers are choosing to maintain the status quo, or worse. The Yaletown overdose prevention site in Vancouver will close its doors in March 2024despite the fact that these structures are one of the most effective ways of preventing deaths.

Fortunately, the associative and community fabric is mobilizing. For example, The Salvation Army, one of the key partners of our weekly food bank, is taking part in this day by organizing a number of spaces in 3 of its premises today to commemorate, inform, exchange and educate about overdoses.

Every 3 months or so, La Boussole organizes a workshop to raise awareness of the issues facing the Downtown Eastside (reserve your place for the next - on October 10). While the neighborhood's situation is complex and the result of a multitude of issues and loopholes in the system, addiction is one of the issues tackled during these quarterly sessions.

We also offer an introduction to naloxone, a substance that temporarily reverses the effects of opioid overdose.

Source : Coroners service, International Overdose Awareness Day and Radio-Canada