Exactly the way I see it. It's scary right now.

Berz out.

On a related note I'm not sure if anyone remembers that couple from North Van who OD'd awhile back but there was new information that came out. They weren't just casual users. The guy was an addict. Started off with pain meds from an construction accident and turned into an addiction. Percs and Oxy's. He had been to treatment and yet still was a user. Sad when something simple like a back injury turns into a life changing ailment. Especially when it's the doctors who are the pimps in the situation and keep prescribing to people who are clearly addicted.

Berz out.

There seems to be a lot of concern and empathy for junkies. I'm not one of them.

my wife told me a stat the other day....there was an OD in vancouver ever 5 mins after welfare checks last week

one guy OD'd 10 times in 24 hrs

When funding for social workers gets slashed back that much, addicts and mentally ill people have nobody to turn to / count on for help. I'm not saying social programs can eliminate addiction problems, but I do believe it has a measurable effect in reducing the numbers to a certain extent.

ER visits are known to be extremely expensive. And what ends up happening right now is, the money that is saved from cutting back on social programs are nowhere nearly enough to make up for the costs of these people hitting ER on a repeated basis. In the end, it ends up costing the province more money, and the healthcare system gets overloaded as well.

Exactly why Insite needs to exist. It ends up saving more money on healthcare costs for these pieces of shit.

Natural selection.

i also got fucked over when a junkie smashed my car window for the 25 cents he saw on the chair....Fuck them and there waste of life. :pokerface:

also the person next week at metrotown parking lot got his sunroof smashed in and took even longer to repair it then a normal driver window.

We could start killing junkies like the Philippines, if that makes you feel better. :)

With drugs like fentanyl becoming increasingly popular, "we" don't need to do a thing; the addicts are removing themselves more frequently already :okay:

It's not always addicts.... one day a kid you know will be at a party and someone will give that kid drugs laced with whatever.......... dead the first time.

That's what's scary about this. Kids are dumb. Hell, even adults are dumb.

Keep in mind opiates don't kill you directly. Opiates affect the nervous system; causing you to not to breathe. Narcan blocks the opiate receptors in you brain. Thus "waking" you up. However, Narcan has a half life of roughly 20-30 mins. Heroin, Fentanyl, and now Carfentanyl last in the body much longer.

If you want to save an opiate patient, you breathe for them. Make sure they have enough oxygen.

Majority of the attention is focused on the users in DT east side and in Surrey Whalley area. The user's here are mostly harden users. There are also lots of resources available there. Shelters all now have Narcan, oxygen, and bag valve mask (bag thing that a person squeezes to push air into somebody's lungs). Also, there are extra ambulance/fire staff working.

These users know the risk. These guys OD multiple times. It is not something new.

The scary part is the depressant drugs (Fentanyl and Carfentanyl) are now appearing in non depressant drugs. Cocaine, Meth, MDMA. Most recreational users do not have the tolerance. They go down quick and hard.

For example:
Grieving Kamloops parents call for action after 27-year-old son dies from taking fentanyl-laced cocaine at wedding - Kamloops This Week

If you are doing drugs, take a small bit first. Test the drug. It may save your life.

(I'm the guy that rides in the big white truck when you get hurt)

A quick glimpse on how long time users walk, talk, and move.
This unfortunately is now the norm at St Paul ER

Maybe we should follow in philiphine hard on drugs approach. If you are caught selling that shit you get a bullet in your head. Anyone can kill you and is not against the law to do so.

Philippines drugs war: The woman who kills dealers for a living - BBC News
Drug deaths in the Philippines: Is President Duterte's war on drugs out of control? - CNN.com

Let's be honest here. The gov have no way stop Fentanyl from coming into Canada. Hiring more security staff, giving the affected medical care is an endless pit. You can spend 100^9999 trillion dollars and it won't stop anything. The only want is to get tough. Is tough but what can we do.

My wife is a nurse and for some of there procedures they use fentanyl, because of what's going on the majority are really paranoid something will happen to them. I had a co worker die to it around a year ago(was mixed with coke) wasn't a hardcore drug addict. Only way accidental overdoses will dramatically reduce is if the government regulates them rather than criminalizes them. I'm sure some would be paranoid that the government is giving them something evil but would be a lot safer if the impurities are removed and people had a better idea of how much to take because the drug purity would remain constant.

I assume that means you're a paramedic. Honestly, how do you guys do it?

I saw the video and you save one, he goes out and gets another fix, OD again, and you bring him back. It seems the health care system is really stressed and overloaded.

Even as a casual observer (and regular citizen, obviously), that was such a frustrating sight to see. On one hand, I am sympathetic to the fact that these guys probably couldn't help themselves. And yet on the other hand, you know they are knowingly doing this to themselves, with the result that regular citizens are footing the bill for their lack of responsibility.

:yuno:

Its really tough and frustrating for the paramedics working in the downtown east side. Its a huge crisis over there and giving people narcan kits isnt a permanent solution but rather it gives them false confidence that they're safe and in fact, it actually encourages them to inject more frequently leading to more OD's. They start relying on others to narcan them but what happens when no one is around? For example, many in-sites are always full and these guys are so impatient that they start injecting in the main lobby and eventually backing up into the streets/alleys/public washrooms with no supervision and they OD. Also, with the narcan kits, some ppl carrying them wont even call for help because they think they're "doctors" but yet they dont know that narcan is excreted quickly.

In addition, these guys still believe that they're buying heroin but the truth is that 99.9% its fentanyl and maybe even carfentenil plus everything is laced with fentanyl now such as cocaine, crystal meth, and even marijuana. Maybe if we can start providing these guys with what they want instead of throwing out narcan kits and opening more in-sites, it'll prevent a lot of trips to the ER because this way they will know what they're taking as well as their tolerance.

definately dont envy paramedics, they deserve every dollar/raise/etc. they make.

I just can't help but feeling really unconcerned about this whole Fentanyl thing myself.

I mean I don't like hearing about people OD'ing and dying, especially the "casual" users, but at the same time I'm so far removed from even knowing any "casual" users in my life that I just can't get into caring about it too much.

This will sound callous, but this seems like a problem that will eventually fix itself....

I'm kind of with you there, but this situation, or crisis if you want to call it that, has really brought to the forefront how many recreational drug users there are in this province.

That's the scary thing - relatives, colleagues, clients - people who seem to be regular people in control of their lives are using drugs.

This is the kind of story that hits home and shows that it can affect anyone even casual users.

Kamloops man dies of fentanyl-related overdose after Kelowna wedding - British Columbia - CBC News

Few guys go up to the room for a bump during the wedding party and end up ODing. No one deserves to have to deal with that aftermath.

Berz out.

Just a minor thing. Heroin is an opiate but Fentanyl is not. Heroin and Fentanyl are opioids.

Except the tough approach hasn't been shown to work. Just look the US and their war on drugs.

It does affect you though even if its indirectly. It is our tax money and social resources that goes into dealing with the addicts.

Do you live in Vancouver and live a clean lifestyle? That's great! :thumbsup:

Time for you to pay up for the citizens who don't.

Vancouver approves property tax increase for opioid crisis response - NEWS 1130