We must deal with toxic drug supplies

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/03/2024 (537 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Our son Jessie’s birthday was March 20. He would have been 34.

Jessie will be gone 10 years this July. He is one of the 2,801 people who have died in Manitoba from drug-related causes.

Most have been fentanyl related, and most have been from the toxic drug supply running rampant in our province.

Somebody dies every day in Manitoba from toxic drugs. In October, 40 loved ones died — in November there was 36.

Our government’s take-home naloxone program gives out over 3,000 kits a month. Our fire and paramedics attend to numerous overdoses every day. In December, there were 14 overdoses in 24 hours by Logan and Main. Our own Mobile Overdose Prevention site has collected data on the types of drugs they are testing to inform the public. We have fentanyl everywhere. Our loved ones — our children — are dying from what they are getting off the streets.

How can we not be talking safe supply? How can safer supply not be included in the plan? Why do I feel the need to defend what is right, instead of writing about diversion of drugs?

Diversion has always happened, since the beginning of addiction and drug use. This is not new. But what has changed is the toxicity of our drug supply. And the huge loss of life to toxic drugs across Canada and here in Manitoba.

The sad thing is that there is no evidence to disprove the lies that safe supply is being diverted to others.

But there is evidence that safe supply is working. It is saving lives. These stories of diverted drugs come from those that do not support safe supply. That are OK with the thousands that are dying because of toxic supply.

What is shameful is ignoring something that is so badly needed and is already proving to save lives. Safe supply.

How long are we going to talk about improving our addiction system? How long are we going to talk band-aids, with naloxone and safe consumption sites, drug testing machines, more rapid access to addiction medicine clinics? And, at the same time, not talk about what people are dying from.

Why do we give the supports to do the toxic drugs and not the safe drugs? Where did we lose sight of our human rights? How has this become so difficult and taken so long? Nobody ever said that safe supply was the only answer, but what the hell — we just let people die while we keep talking.

Hundreds of our loved ones have died from toxic drugs, we can not forget who we are talking about.

What if your child goes out today and takes a pill that a friend gave him, and your child dies because it was full of fentanyl and not what your child thought he was going to take? You don’t just advocate for treatment, because treatment wouldn’t have helped, and justice wont bring your child back.

You need to fight for safe supply.

We are accepting the unacceptable. My hope is that our new government is not afraid to do the right thing. To do more than sit and wait on safe supply.

There is not a day go by that our son is not in our thoughts. I know the pain that to many of our families know. The emptiness in the heart that can never be filled again. We don’t just mourn the past, we mourn the future. The future we will never have.

For me, it is not enough to be told I am so sorry for your loss, not when so many of our children, our loved ones, our friends, are dying all the same way. This isn’t right, it is unacceptable and only governments and leaders can change this.

Birthdays are to celebrate. How do you celebrate when your child is gone too soon?

Arlene Last-Kolb is Jessie’ s mom and Manitoba regional director with Moms Stop The Harm.