by: leila attar
a
new report
from the drug policy and research evaluation centre includes the latest on the status of the overdose crisis in ontario. last year, 2,426 people died. the city of ottawa alone saw a 95-per-cent increase in overdose-related deaths from 2019.
behind these numbers are individuals and communities in a perpetual state of grief. this report is more than statistics; it represents the loss of community leaders, family members, friends, mentors and human beings who deserved so much more.
the ongoing deaths in our community demonstrate that the current responses to the overdose crisis are insufficient, as they fail to address the structural causes, such as poverty, criminalization and a lack of access to a safe supply of drugs. in recent years, interventions such as the distribution of naloxone, supervised consumption services, and small-scale safe supply programs have been implemented in some cities across ontario. despite this, the rate of death has only increased since the beginning of the pandemic. these measures are life-saving and necessary, but they are unable to address the systemic nature of the crisis.
as drug policy advocates highlight, the prohibition of drugs leads to barriers to care and societal stigma — legislating a dangerous environment for those who consume them. criminalization fundamentally defines the relationship between the state and people who use drugs, thereby shaping policies and interactions with health care, social services, and police. prohibitionist laws force individuals to consume in ways meant to avoid detection, surveillance and arrest, increasing the risk of overdose.