Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

ILLICIT DRUG DEATHS

Marginalization, isolation contribute to the high number of toxic drug deaths in B.C.

Dec 15, 2021 | 5:10 PM

KAMLOOPS — Last week, B.C.’s Chief Coroner released the latest statistics on deaths as a result of the toxic drug supply in the province.

So far, B.C. could see upwards of 2,000 deaths because of a tainted illicit drug supply. In Kamloops, there have already been 60 toxic drug-related deaths from January to October of 2021.

The median age of the people dying from illicit toxic drug use is 43 years, while 79 per cent of those who died are men.

Doctor Cecilia Benoit is a scientist with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. She says the factors like isolation and marginalization can lead to young men using substances to cope.

“They’re still in the prime of their life. So what is it about that disconnectedness that these young and slightly older – especially – men are facing?” Dr. Benoit suggests. “We see that men are less likely to come for services, even though their needs are just as great, if not greater. I don’t think it’s a simple problem of just having safe drugs, even though that’s needed.”

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Much of Dr. Benoit’s research has been around stigma. She suggests those who get stigmatized for using drugs are marginalized to begin with. That judgment can then start a vicious cycle which leads folks to even riskier behaviour, like using drugs alone.

“You say ‘this person is doing something morally wrong’ – and we’re making a judgment in our society what’s morally right or wrong – then they actually pull away,” she says. “They often conceal themselves or hide because they don’t want to be called out. That actually has the impact of them feeling bad about themselves and then stigmatizing themselves. That’s how that process works.”

B.C. has applied to the federal government to decriminalize small amounts of drugs to stop the criminalization of drug users. Dr. Benoit sees that as a positive first step that would allow the province to offer more treatment options for people who want to stop using drugs.

“I think by taking the law out of it, the crime out of it, we help to destigmatize it,” she says. “Decriminalization is a harm reduction strategy, and then we can think about other things we can do to create safety – safer consumption, guidelines that are realistic and try to take action on the other determinants of health I referred to. Stigma is insidious; it’s hard to get your hands on it and it’s extremely powerful in keeping people down.”