VANCOUVER — When NDP Leader David Eby announced this month that the province would open “secure facilities” to provide involuntary care for people with severe drug addiction or mental health problems, it represented a moment of policy unity with the rival B.C. Conservatives ahead of the fall election.
But for drug policy advocate DJ Larkin, the consensus was loaded with irony — since the province currently isn’t able to supply enough beds even for those who want treatment, let alone those who don’t.
“This shift toward involuntary treatment is a knee-jerk reaction,” Larkin, who’s the executive director with the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, said in an interview. “It is
→ Continue reading at BIV