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Addiction and mental illness in Victoria


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#1441 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 14 November 2021 - 04:33 AM

Burger, who retired from VicPD this year, saw the shift as he left: a surge in the number of marginalized people, who were offered housing but not other supports. “We have these people who have come to our city and we aren’t able to help them properly,” he said when I caught up with him.

Within that surge were people who would commit crime, get caught, then — untreated — be spat out of the revolving door to do it again.



https://vibrantvicto...-90#entry624131

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 November 2021 - 04:34 AM.

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#1442 pontcanna

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Posted 16 November 2021 - 03:49 AM

Province's mental health crisis is getting worse

Senior police officers talk to B.C. legislature committee

By: Les Leyne, Times Colonist

There’s a disturbed individual living in the West Shore area who comes to the attention of the members of the RCMP detachment routinely.

Routinely, as in almost every single day.

Chris Boucher, the acting staff sergeant in charge, referred to the case recently. Just by the numbers, it’s a vivid representation of what police everywhere are facing, and handling with very limited success.

Boucher was talking to a legislature committee last week that is conducting an inquiry into the Police Act. One of the areas of interest is the role of police in dealing with mental health, addictions and harm reduction.

It’s obvious to everyone now that people with problems in that sphere are taking up more police time. Boucher’s account brings home how much more.

 

Morehttps://www.timescol...g-worse-4761599



#1443 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 16 November 2021 - 04:22 AM

that person needs an institution.
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#1444 Daveyboy

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Posted 22 November 2021 - 07:29 AM

"As a Doctor, I was taught 'first do no harm'.  That's why I have concerns with the so-called 'Safe Supply' of drugs."

 

https://www.theglobe...have-a-problem/

 

Finally some media coverage of the damage done by providing everyone on the streets with drugs supplied by the so-called experts.  Our drug crisis will never end until enough people say Enough!


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#1445 Barrrister

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Posted 22 November 2021 - 10:00 AM

First of all, I should, in fairness, point out that I have a step son who is tragically a long term meth and drug addict. Having said that, I am sadly far to familiar with the problem,

 

Frankly, whenever this topic comes up I find myself feeling like I am talking to either the anti-vax people or a bunch of Trump morons from Texas, I am not referring to the general populace (who are also uninformed) but with the army of people who are "helping the homeless". and setting up insane policies like housing first and a safe drug supply. (yes there are a few homeless that are not drug addicts but they are few and far between; lets not divert from the vast majority who are drug addicts).

 

The reason I say that it is like talking with Trump or anti-vaxers is the vast majority of people involved with solving the problem either dont bother to look at the science or intentionally choice to ignore it while coming out with idiot ideas from some sociology class or that they picked up god knows where.

 

The science behind dug addiction is both tragically clear and highly inconvenient for politicians and the army of people involved in the "homeless" industry. The simple and absolutely clear scientific fact is that long term drug addicts have serious brain damage. I mean that in the most literal sense that the brain has serious physical damage . This is not a matter of some theory or social construct, there is clear and visible damage to the brains of drug addicts in critical parts of the brain that is uniformly visible on the various scanning devices. Unless you are going to claim some sort of conspiracy with every major medical center such as U, U. of T., the Mayo, Harvard, Yale and Berkley as well as all the major European centers this is established basic science,

 

I am not going into a science coarse here but the primary areas that are damaged is the dopamine center along with the frontal lobe areas that control judgment. The good news is that with total absence of drugs the brain might either fully or partially recover.  The bad news is that we are talking years for a partial recovery and truthfully in some cases parts of the brain might never recover.  Make no mistake that these poor souls are in horrible pain and distress, 

 

Tragically the only course available to us, the only human thing to do regardless of the expense is to institutionalize those who are seriously drug addicted. The brains of these poor people will take years to repair themselves and in some cases never. That is the scientific reality of what we are dealing with. 

 

The science also explains why our short term treatment centers are such abject failures. It also explains the total failure of policies such as housing first and counseling which we have been doing at enormous expense. We, as a society have a duty to protect and care for these damaged souls and sadly the science clearly indicates a need for involuntary institutionalization. 

 

I am happy to discuss this but I would ask that people spend an hour or two researching the actual science on the nature of drug addiction and brain damage. Look for reputable science research and ignore all the promotional material for the rehab industry in the US. 

 

Look into your heart and ask yourselves if it was your son or daughter or brother or sister would you want them to be abandoned on Pandora? 


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#1446 sebberry

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Posted 22 November 2021 - 10:16 AM

Look into your heart and ask yourselves if it was your son or daughter or brother or sister would you want them to be abandoned on Pandora? 

 

The current approach is one of the least humane possible, yet the Together Victoria crowd somehow see themselves as the saviors.  


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#1447 A Girl is No one

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Posted 22 November 2021 - 10:58 AM

First of all, I should, in fairness, point out that I have a step son who is tragically a long term meth and drug addict. Having said that, I am sadly far to familiar with the problem,

Frankly, whenever this topic comes up I find myself feeling like I am talking to either the anti-vax people or a bunch of Trump morons from Texas, I am not referring to the general populace (who are also uninformed) but with the army of people who are "helping the homeless". and setting up insane policies like housing first and a safe drug supply. (yes there are a few homeless that are not drug addicts but they are few and far between; lets not divert from the vast majority who are drug addicts).

The reason I say that it is like talking with Trump or anti-vaxers is the vast majority of people involved with solving the problem either dont bother to look at the science or intentionally choice to ignore it while coming out with idiot ideas from some sociology class or that they picked up god knows where.

The science behind dug addiction is both tragically clear and highly inconvenient for politicians and the army of people involved in the "homeless" industry. The simple and absolutely clear scientific fact is that long term drug addicts have serious brain damage. I mean that in the most literal sense that the brain has serious physical damage . This is not a matter of some theory or social construct, there is clear and visible damage to the brains of drug addicts in critical parts of the brain that is uniformly visible on the various scanning devices. Unless you are going to claim some sort of conspiracy with every major medical center such as U, U. of T., the Mayo, Harvard, Yale and Berkley as well as all the major European centers this is established basic science,

I am not going into a science coarse here but the primary areas that are damaged is the dopamine center along with the frontal lobe areas that control judgment. The good news is that with total absence of drugs the brain might either fully or partially recover. The bad news is that we are talking years for a partial recovery and truthfully in some cases parts of the brain might never recover. Make no mistake that these poor souls are in horrible pain and distress,

Tragically the only course available to us, the only human thing to do regardless of the expense is to institutionalize those who are seriously drug addicted. The brains of these poor people will take years to repair themselves and in some cases never. That is the scientific reality of what we are dealing with.

The science also explains why our short term treatment centers are such abject failures. It also explains the total failure of policies such as housing first and counseling which we have been doing at enormous expense. We, as a society have a duty to protect and care for these damaged souls and sadly the science clearly indicates a need for involuntary institutionalization.

I am happy to discuss this but I would ask that people spend an hour or two researching the actual science on the nature of drug addiction and brain damage. Look for reputable science research and ignore all the promotional material for the rehab industry in the US.

Look into your heart and ask yourselves if it was your son or daughter or brother or sister would you want them to be abandoned on Pandora?

Absolutely, I have raised this several times and it never seems to get any traction or interest.
The longer we enable the drug use, and ODs, the more brain damage sets in. It’s not an acceptable or humane solution. IMO.
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#1448 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 04 December 2021 - 12:40 PM

New York City opened two "Overdose Prevention Centers" on Tuesday, the first supervised injection sites in the nation. The centers, according to the mayor's office, aim to curb the high rate of opioid deaths that has plagued the city for years.

The centers are located with existing syringe service providers, and are "safe places" where people who use drugs have access to medical care, treatment and social services, Mayor Bill de Blasio's office said in a statement. Trained staff will work at the sites, which are located in Manhattan's East Harlem and Washington Heights, according to the New York Times.


https://www.cbsnews....tion-sites/#app

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 04 December 2021 - 12:40 PM.


#1449 Nparker

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Posted 05 December 2021 - 12:37 AM

Let's hope they have better results than we have seen locally.



#1450 A Girl is No one

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Posted 05 December 2021 - 07:54 AM

What do you think?
Interesting that in the great decriminalized country of Portugal, that everyone raves about, the use of drugs is decriminalized but if you break other laws while using, you will be arrested. Example: shooting up in a park or public place.
I’m reading an excellent book on the subject: San Fransicko. Lots of interesting info in there.

Edited by A Girl is No one, 05 December 2021 - 07:56 AM.


#1451 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 05 December 2021 - 08:06 AM

Yes that’s a good book. Written by a liberal.

Shows how nobody learns from bad policy.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 December 2021 - 08:07 AM.


#1452 Mike K.

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Posted 05 December 2021 - 08:54 AM

Bad policy is the perpetual motion machine. Good policy means you’re constantly chasing new pursuits, and that’s tough for buy-in and funding.

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#1453 Nparker

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Posted 05 December 2021 - 09:12 AM

Bad policy also doesn't require results or benefits, so it's easy to perpetuate ad infinitum.



#1454 Barrrister

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Posted 05 December 2021 - 02:32 PM

Really great bad policy is when you can actually make the problem worse and then lobby for ever increasing funding because of the crisis that you are actually creating.


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#1455 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 07 December 2021 - 09:15 AM

A Vancouver Island judge says courts need to reconsider sentencing ranges that make it almost a certainty addicts caught dealing fentanyl to support a drug habit are sent to jail.

 

In a ruling likely to send shockwaves through B.C.'s justice system, Campbell River Provincial Court Judge Barbara Flewelling last week broke with years of precedent set by the province's top court — suspending a sentence for a woman facing up to three years in jail for trafficking in fentanyl and placing her on probation instead.

 

Sarah Runyon, the defence lawyer who won the case, said the ruling has the potential to be groundbreaking.

 

"It's really just forcing the court to step back and say, 'Wait a minute, are we really just playing whack-a-mole here?' Taking one marginalized street person, throw them into custody [then] somebody else pops up, and what problem are we really solving?" Runyon told the CBC.

"It's important because it's re-evaluating our approach to punishing people who use drugs and sell drugs to survive."

 

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...ncing-1.6275724



#1456 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 10 December 2021 - 06:42 AM

An increasingly toxic and volatile illicit drug supply has claimed at least 201 lives in October and 1,782 lives in the first 10 months of 2021, according to the latest preliminary data released by the BC Coroners Service.

“Today is a heart-rending milestone for our province,” said Lisa Lapointe, B.C.’s chief coroner. “The deaths of more than 200 of our community members in one month due to toxic drugs is a devastating loss. In the sixth year of this public health emergency, we are experiencing a record loss of life and I know this news will resonate with tremendous sadness amongst the thousands of families who have lost a loved one to this crisis. My thoughts continue to be with every family and community that is grieving the loss of a loved one.”

October is the first month in which 200 lives were lost to illicit drugs in B.C. The 1,782 lives lost between January and October already represent the highest number of deaths due to drug toxicity ever recorded in the province in a calendar year. More than 8,300 people have died as a result of drug toxicity since the public health emergency into substance-related harms was declared in April 2016.


https://news.gov.bc....PSSG0099-002356

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 10 December 2021 - 06:43 AM.


#1457 Mike K.

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Posted 10 December 2021 - 07:58 AM

Street level dealers are dealing fentanyl. And a Campbell River judge was very lenient on a woman on trial for dealing fentanyl. I don’t think this is going to get better any time soon.
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#1458 Nparker

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Posted 10 December 2021 - 08:15 AM

And anyone who believes offering addicts "clean" government supplied drugs is going to make a difference is either delusional or willfully ignorant of how addiction works.


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#1459 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 10 December 2021 - 08:18 AM

Notice the government article never says “overdose”.
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#1460 A Girl is No one

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Posted 10 December 2021 - 08:42 AM

Government gets in the business of eradicating homelessness, government gets in the business of eradicating drug OD deaths, government gets in the business to bring down housing prices.
What’s the common thread here?
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