{"id":3092,"date":"2021-12-15T11:54:35","date_gmt":"2021-12-15T00:54:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/drug-policy-failings-but-not-what-you-think\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T12:45:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T01:45:29","slug":"drug-policy-failings-but-not-what-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/drug-policy-failings-but-not-what-you-think\/","title":{"rendered":"Drug Policy Failings \u2013 But Not What You Think?"},"content":{"rendered":"

“British Columbia’s prison system has become a health and addiction system of last resort, according to a new study from SFU , which found that three-quarters of people admitted to B.C. prisons in 2017 suffered from addiction or mental health issues \u2014 up from 61 per cent in 2009. Complex care cases \u2014 people with a combination of addiction and mental health needs \u2014 more than doubled in the same time period, from 15 to 32 per cent. That\u2019s approximately 10 times the national average, estimated at between two and four per cent.”<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a multiple systems failure that we\u2019re seeing,\u201d said Amanda Butler, lead author of the study. \u201cI think a lot of these folks have been failed by every other service system before they come into contact with the criminal justice system.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Damning indictments indeed, but it\u2019s the Why, and the Wherefore that must be investigated, if we are going to attempt to remedy this growing, and seemingly, uncontrollable mess.<\/p>\n

Many interpretations will be gleaned from this very concerning emergence, and depending on one\u2019s confirmation bias<\/em> metric, finger pointing will go in many directions.<\/p>\n

One perspective we’d like to bring to this, is one that is all too often quickly buried by the pro-drug hijackers of ‘Harm Reduction’ models.<\/p>\n

As we have written time and time again on this issue, Harm Reduction (an important pillar in drug policy) is supposed to be about minimising short- and long-term harms to the drug user, WHILST enabling, equipping, and empowering them to EXIT<\/strong> drug use! Hmmmm? Since the sector charged with reducing the harms of drug use (including not just the ‘harms’ to the drug user) have stopped focusing on drug use exiting, the harms have only increased. <\/p>\n

One of the foundational causes of this ever burgeoning chaos, is of course, DRUG USE<\/strong>.  If one doesn\u2019t use drugs, the harms do NOT<\/strong> occur! <\/p>\n

Ah, but I hear the vociferous objections of the stakeholders in this failing misuse of policy; ‘That’s over simplifying the situation, the reasons behind drug use are complex’.  <\/em><\/p>\n

Now, we start the ‘spelunking’ of the social determinants. Social Determinants 19-08-21b.pdf (dalgarnoinstitute.org.au)<\/a> this malaise.<\/p>\n

There is no argument from us that there may be many catalysts for initial uptake<\/em>, but once drug using starts, the substance then becomes one of the key drivers to drug seeking behaviour, if not the sole one, once dependency presents.<\/p>\n

A \u2018circuit breaker\u2019 in the drug use\/seeking behaviour is an imperative. If \u2018Harm Reduction\u2019 mechanisms, do not have a \u2018circuit breaker\u2019 in its arsenal in the fight against this individual and community destroying behaviour, then it continues to fight this insidious foe with one hand tied behind it\u2019s back.<\/p>\n

\u2018Liquid handcuffs\u2019 (substance substitute options) <\/a>https:\/\/nobrainer.org.au\/index.php\/search-our-site?q=liquid+handcuffs&Search=<\/a>  can be part of a \u2018circuit breaker\u2019, if and ONLY if, the clear and scheduled cessation of drug use is the immovable goal.  Yet, all too often, we see this potential vehicle for exiting drug use only become another individual undermining chemical dependence.<\/p>\n

So, when all the syringes have been handed out. All the drug consumption rooms have been engaged. All the free chemical substitutes have been administered\u2026 and drug use continues, and grows, then where does a community go in the longing to free these slaves to substances, and the heart broken casualties that are their family, friends, and colleagues?<\/p>\n

The failed misused policy ends up where British Columbia finds itself. The only \u2018circuit breaker\u2019 remaining is \u2018secure welfare\u2019 \u2013 which in almost all cases is interpreted as the prison system.<\/p>\n

Sadly, the incarceration is not just the exasperated last resort for the recalcitrant drug user, it\u2019s also what the drug use has led to, that so often facilitates criminal proceedings. Everything from acquisitional crime to violence, public nuisance or other society impacting ripple effects from this distressing behaviour. <\/a> <\/p>\n

When you\u2019re dealing with a (more often than not) intractable life controlling issue, coercive vehicles are needed to start the change process. To quote the now famous recovering addict, Actor Robert Downy Jnr, \u201cIt\u2019s not that difficult to overcome these seemingly ghastly problems [drug addiction]\u2026 what\u2019s hard is to decide to do it.\u201d  <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Pity, it is said looks at a problem superficially and throws a token \u2018kindness\u2019 at the issue and walks away. Compassion, however, insists on restoration, not just \u2018recalibration\u2019, and therefore cannot condone a \u2018kindness\u2019 that doesn\u2019t only not end the grief, but adds to it.<\/p>\n

When the \u2018Judicial Educator\u2019 \u2013 the law \u2013 is employed for this compassionate end, then seemingly punitive responses, are transformed to restorative ones, and coercion is used not to bring retribution, rather restoration, we see a proactive outcome for all involved. (see <\/a>https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/advocacy\/dalgarno-aod-policy\/1597-prisoners-graduate-from-unique-addiction-breaking-program-at-casuarina.html<\/a> )<\/p>\n

Yet, there is perhaps still one more unfolding in this sad saga \u2013 and an arguably cynical one at that, but bear with us.<\/p>\n

What if the agenda of the gatekeepers of the \u2018harm reduction\u2019 policy have little to no regard for the cessation of drug use? Instead, they seek only to sanitize and normalise drug use? Create a tsunami of substance use behaviour that simply can\u2019t be \u2018managed\u2019 by criminal justice, or now even \u2018health policy\u2019. It can only be allowed to exist un-impugned, simply tolerated.<\/p>\n

Sadly, we have dealt with such stakeholders and their well-masked agenda.<\/p>\n

When a society becomes enamoured with the pursuit of pleasure, that it now perceives even \u2018failed entitlements to \u2018happiness\u2019, normal vicissitudes of life, or even emotional inconveniences, as trauma that need to be \u2018medicated away\u2019 with the \u2018buzz of the gear\u2019, you know that public health and well-being policy is in trouble \u2013 as is the community and its families it is charged to serve.<\/p>\n

Shane Varcoe<\/p>\n

75 per cent of people sent to B.C. prisons struggle with addiction, mental health: study | Vancouver Sun<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“British Columbia’s prison system has become a health and addiction system of last resort, according to a new study from SFU , which found that three-quarters of people admitted to B.C. prisons in 2017 suffered from addiction or mental health issues \u2014 up from 61 per cent in 2009. Complex care cases \u2014 people with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-need-counselling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3092"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3092\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dalgarnoinstitute.org.au\/wp_site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}