From the US Border to Whalley & the Downtown Eastside: Drug Bust Stories Should Never be One-Sided Celebrations
From the Surrey Union of Drug Users’ Research Committee & Police Oversight with Evidence and Research (P.O.W.E.R) at the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users:
It is not uncommon for reporters to simply reiterate police messaging when it comes to drug busts and raids – sometimes even acting as cheerleaders for these spectacles or encouraging people to collaborate with them by sharing information with police.
But only providing the police and government’s side of this story, especially during a forever public health emergency, is dangerous and misguided.
While the province might celebrate “separating people from the unregulated supply,” media reports rarely go beneath the surface of what that actually means.
Separating people from their known source and supply can be dangerous for individuals, and on a systemic level reduces the amount of supply without the corresponding change in demand. This means there may be a temporary increase in street prices, and decreased access for people who use substances. In response, people may turn to a lesser known source, a significant risk factor for overdose.
All this occurs while there is no extra support provided for people who use drugs and whose purchasing market is suddenly destabilized. What about the impacts that follow drug busts, which are rarely, if ever reported on – from overdose rates to potential increases in theft and other crime?