Skip to content

Russian roulette played out in neighbourhoods every day

It's all over the media, so you can't miss the fact that fentanyl-laced drugs are killing people in B.C. in big numbers.

It's all over the media, so you can't miss the fact that fentanyl-laced drugs are killing people in B.C. in big numbers. Professionals have called it a public health emergency with an estimated 800 deaths due to overdoses to take place this year alone.

We aren't just talking about the deaths of heavy drug users on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. These victims are family members, neighbours, co-workers, our students and friends who are using drugs for "recreational purposes," a term I find disturbing. There is nothing recreational about drugs.

Call me naive but I was shocked to wake up to the news that on International Overdose Awareness Day, Delta police had responded to nine drug overdoses in South Delta in just 20 minutes on a rainy Wednesday night.

I shouldn't be surprised. My first story as a news reporter with Delta TV was a tour of Little House and a chat with its dynamic president Jim Stimson. Five minutes into the interview he assured me there was a serious drug problem in Tsawwassen and Ladner.

"Because we are an affluent community, there's a misconception that we don't have a drug problem. On the contrary, that is exactly why we have such a serious problem: lots of cash to buy drugs and easy access."

My father was an alcoholic. He was a sad Irish drunk who spent most of his time crying into a glass of whiskey. He overcame his addiction after 13 years, he counted himself lucky and I admired him for it.

My deceased husband, in the final months of his battle against pancreatic cancer, relied on daily fentanyl patches for pain and they were a godsend. I saw how potent just a gentle topical release of the opiate affected him, so I can't imagine the intense reaction someone would have to a pill laced with fentanyl.

Thanks to those two life experiences, I understand the powerful effects of alcohol and drugs in good times and bad, which has me on the sympathetic side of the issue. There has been a lot of harsh criticism from people who feel drug users get what they deserve, but if we look at the root cause of addiction, there is much room for empathy.

I don't believe the young adults who took fentanyl-laced cocaine last week deserved to die, but rather they were reckless risk takers who fell victim to dangerous drug dealers putting profits over safety. My hope is they learn from it and warn others.

Let's all practice the values of the Little House Society - accountability, courage, collaboration, honesty, dignity and respect - as we, as a community go forward to protect our loved ones from self-harm.

When Delta police Chief Neil Dubord takes to social media to warn our community that every time they take drugs they are holding a gun to their head, we best sit up and pay attention. It's our responsibility to be aware and report drug use. Someone's life may depend upon it.

Ingrid Abbott is a freelance writer and broadcaster who lives in Beach Grove and is concerned about drugs in all our communities .