Forcing people into drug treatment is on the political agenda. Here’s what the evidence says

November 12, 2024 oceansidecat 0

Global review finds ‘lack of high-quality evidence to support or refute’ involuntary treatment By Mike Crawley · CBC News – Read the full article here As the toxic drug crisis continues to claim thousands of lives each year — fuelling perceptions that existing measures are failing — the notion of involuntary treatment is gaining political traction […]

Responding to homeless encampments

November 8, 2024 oceansidecat 0

Local governments’ human rights obligations Homeless encampments are increasingly common across British Columbia. These encampmentsare a result of structural conditions, including the failure of all levels of government to upholdthe right to adequate housing. They must be understood in the context of historical and ongoingsystems of discrimination and colonization. Read […]

Opinion: Closure of Calgary’s supervised consumption site is a death sentence

October 7, 2024 oceansidecat 0

by Sydney Boa, Calgary Herald – Published Oct 05, 2024  Recently, Mental Health and Addiction Minister Dan Williams and other influential voices have critiqued supervised consumption sites (SCS), perpetuating harmful rhetoric that undermines the proven effectiveness of harm-reduction services. Williams questions whether SCS reduce crime or improve public health — extensive […]

Comment: Involuntary care will not end the drug crisis

September 27, 2024 oceansidecat 0

It is concerning that our government is seeking to remove a person’s most basic rights to liberty and security of the person in order to impose care with no evidentiary basis, says former chief coroner Lisa Lapointe. Lisa Lapointe Sep 25 A commentary by the ­former chief coroner of British ­Columbia. Premier […]