The 2020 British Columbia Provincial Elections: Overdose Crisis

Illicit drug overdose is one of the top 10 causes of death in British Columbia¹, and the province declared a state of emergency due to the overdose crisis in 2016². Data from 2019 showed optimistic indications of the crisis being under control, however, the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to roll back any progress that may have been made in combating illicit drug overdose deaths³. In fact, nearly four times as many British Columbians died of drug overdoses in 2020 thus far than have died due to contracting COVID-19⁴. Fighting the dual public health crises of drug overdose and COVID-19 is going to be a pressing challenge for the next provincial government.

BC NDP 

The BC NDP has proposed to⁵: 

• Explore new ways to help prescribers provide access to safer prescription alternatives to illicit drugs, 
• Push Ottawa to decriminalize simple possession of small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use,
• Collaborate with WorkSafeBC to identify new ways of improving pain management practices for injured workers, and
• Build new treatment, recovery, detox, and after-care facilities across the province, with some beds specifically for people under the age of 24.

Green Party of BC

The Green Party of BC has proposed to⁶: 

• Work with the colleges of physicians and pharmacists to encourage their members to participate in existing access-to-safe-supply programs,
• Fund a wider range of safe-supply resources, including low-barrier ways of dispensing like dispensing machines, 
• Conduct ongoing consultations with people who use drugs in order to create low-barrier and accessible programs,
• Enhance funding for harm reduction services and create COVID-friendly plans to ensure that people have drug access and don’t use alone,
• De-prioritize policing of simple possession through implementing Dr. Bonnie Henry’s recommended amendments to the Police Act, and
• Strongly pursue illicit drug decriminalization with the Federal government.

BC Liberal Party 

The BC Liberals have proposed to⁷: 

• Increase addiction-treatment and -recovery programs, and ensure that those who need help getting off drugs have a clear pathway to treatment, 
• Clearly recognize that addiction is a medical disorder, and ensure a focus on public health and safety in the treatment of people suffering from addictions,
• Introduce a Safe Care Act to safely and ethically help young people with addictions into treatment,
• End the funding discrimination that continues to disqualify abstinence-based treatment programs, and
• Implement a provincial prescription-drug monitoring program to prevent addiction with early referrals to specialist care and treatment options. 

References

1. The BC Government website: Statistical Reports on Deaths in British Columbia. October 20, 2020. 
2. The BC Government website: Provincial health officer declare public health emergency. April 14, 2016. 
3. The BC Government website: Coroners Service Illicit Drug Toxicity Deaths in BC January 1 2010-September 30 2020. October 20, 2020. 
4. The BC Centre for Disease Control website: British Columbia Weekly COVID-19 Surveillance Report October 9 2020-October 15 2020. October 15, 2020.  
5. BC New Democratic Party website: John Horgan’s Commitments to BC. Oct 7th, 2020.  
6. BC Green Party website: The BC Green’s Plan for a more Equitable and Sustainable BC. October 13 2020. 
7. BC Liberal website: Restore Confidence. Rebuild BC. October 13 2020. 

For additional information on our Quick Snips! series, see the introduction post.

Page last updated October 20, 2020