Image Credit: CFJC Today
OPIOID CRISIS

Moms Stop the Harm rallies for drug policy change at Kamloops MLA offices

Feb 10, 2022 | 3:56 PM

KAMLOOPS — Moms Stop the Harm held rallies in Victoria, Vancouver and Chilliwack on Thursday morning (Feb. 10) to advocate for drug policy change. The Kamloops chapter held its own rally to urge those in ‘positions of power’ to push for more addiction support.

It comes after the BC Coroner’s Office gave an update about the province’s 2021 illicit drug death toll. With more than 2,200 overdose deaths in total, BC saw a 26 per cent increase over 2020.

One rally participant, who spoke to CFJC Today, has been sober for two years. She joined Moms Stop the Harm by laying down for 77 seconds in front of MLA Peter Milobar’s office — to honour the 77 people who died in Kamloops last year from overdoses.

“We need safe supply in order to help people from not passing away anymore,” she said, tearfully.

“There’s very few of my friends left that I grew up with (remaining).”

Moms Stop the Harm is calling for the decriminalization of personal amounts of street drugs, and treatment for people with addictions. The rally participant knows what it’s like to mask trauma and pain with drugs.

“A lot of addiction anywhere stems from childhood trauma, right? And it’s not dealt with because people don’t have the resources and counseling available to them,” she told CFJC News.

In addition to Peter Milobar’s office, the group also gathered in front of MLA Todd Stone’s office. Their message is clear: drug policy needs to change and it’s long overdue.

Both Milobar and Stone are in Victoria but they say the message was heard.

Milobar hopes to keep the discussion alive with all levels of government.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done with the federal government and the provincial government, but certainly this government has not been breaking speed records on any of these facets and that’s really the concern,” he said.

And the longer it takes to see change, the more likely the illicit drug death toll could continue to rise. The rally participant who spoke to CFJC Today says without support, it’s easy for someone with an addiction to relapse.

“If the services and the funding was available, I wouldn’t have been in that situation,” she said.