Have you noticed purple ribbons around yourtown, tied to telephone poles and street lights?
Look closer and you鈥檒l see a photo, and a story of someone who died of a drug overdose.
They鈥檝e been put up by the families of those who died, as a memorial and in hopes the display will spark curiosity from passersby. It鈥檚 part of a campaign leading up to Aug. 31, the International Day of Overdose Awareness, and the ribbons are a visual acknowledgment of the crisis that鈥檚 often hidden in secret.
A growing majority of overdose deaths happen when people are using alone, hidden at home, according to B.C.鈥檚 Coroners Service. The number of deaths has climbed alarmingly since the province designated it a public health emergency in 2016: this May, more than five people a day died from illicit drug overdoses in B.C. In Greater Victoria alone, 65 people died this year between January and May.
Jennifer Howard鈥檚 only son Robby died in 2016, at 24 years old just one month after the public health emergency was declared. During a stressful time in his life, someone offered him heroin and he took it. He became addicted, and tried to hide it.
鈥淢y dream would have been that Robby said to me, 鈥楳om I鈥檓 struggling.鈥� We would have gone to our family doctor who would have given a prescription for a safe regulated supply, and at the same time referred Robby to counselling support, and asked what other support do you need? Let鈥檚 get it going. That鈥檚 the dream.鈥�
Instead, he died alone, with 100 per cent fentanyl in his system.
鈥淗e told me at one point, I think I need to go to rehab,鈥� Howard said. 鈥淚 went out the next day and said what do we need to do? But that moment was gone.鈥�
That moment when a substance-addicted person wants to go to rehab is fleeting, as many families can attest. Help needs to be available then and there.
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have $40,000 for private rehab, you鈥檙e on the phone desperate for help, and you鈥檙e told there鈥檚 a wait list. And that moment is gone,鈥� said Howard, who works as the B.C. programs coordinator for Moms Stop the Harm.
Help also needs to be in the right place. Robby wasn鈥檛 homeless and wouldn鈥檛 have gone to the downtown street-oriented drug checking services, his mom said, adding that there鈥檚 a need for services that target all demographics.
鈥淥verdose can happen to anyone. There鈥檚 no social-economic barriers here, it could be your friend, coworker, neighbour.鈥�
Howard鈥檚 two main asks from the government are to radically increase safe supply, and decriminalize drug use. Some money has been put towards safe supply, but not nearly enough.
鈥淭he pilot project in Victoria [Victoria SAFER Initiative] only serves 100 people. We鈥檙e grateful for that, but meanwhile we鈥檙e getting calls from families desperate to get on to a program like that. Families calling the health authority desperate for help. Their loved one says, 鈥業鈥檓 ready, I want to go into detox,鈥� and they鈥檙e told they have to wait. They鈥檙e told they have to wait six weeks, they鈥檙e told there鈥檚 a six-month wait for any kind of recovery home. It鈥檚 not acceptable.
鈥淭he lack of support is still what鈥檚 driving the record number of deaths, because people who are waiting for services, in their desperation, turn to toxic drug supply.鈥�
Five years into a public health emergency, and people are still dying in record numbers. It鈥檚 a heavy form of evidence showing that what鈥檚 been done so far isn鈥檛 working.
鈥淔or all of us families who have lost loved ones, we鈥檝e seen how efficiently a province can respond to a public health emergency, so for many of us it feels like our crisis is on the back burner. It鈥檚 been forgotten. How can we be five years into this emergency and still see record deaths? With COVID it would be completely unacceptable, and yet here we are.鈥�
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