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Wanker
Guest
Supervised?????
There were 21 overdoses Sunday and Monday at Insite, the supervised drug injection facility on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Gavin Wilson, a spokesman for Coastal Health, revealed the count Monday after the Vancouver Police Department had issued an alert a day earlier pointing to about 12 overdoses and the death of a woman, believed to be related to some potent heroin.
But the police statement noted that the exact cause of the woman’s death had to be confirmed by the B.C. Coroners Service.
Wilson said 16 overdoses occurred through the evening Sunday, and another five occurring Monday through to mid-afternoon.,
He said the recent spike in overdoses at Insite was “a very high number.”
So far through 2014, Wilson said, the overdose rate averaged 10 to 12 a week, so 16 in one day was unusual.
There has never been an overdose death at Insite, he said.
“Heroin overdoses don’t need to be fatal,” said Wilson. “They’re reversible if caught in time.”
A drug called Naloxone is used to counter the effects of heroin.
Hugh Lampkin, president of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), said his organization was notified about the potent heroin Sunday and, like other agencies in the area, is spreading the news.
“Down here, word of mouth is faster than anything,” Lampkin said.
There’s also some conjecture about the problem.
“I think right now the consensus is that it’s probably laced with Fentanyl,” said Lampkin.
Fentanyl is an opiate used for chronic pain and is often administered through patches on the skin.
But Fentanyl is also stronger than heroin, which could explain the overdoses.
Wilson said the cause for the overdose, whether it’s Fentanyl, some other agent or just potent heroin, hasn’t been determined.
Police are advising users not to consume drugs by themselves, and to use Insite.
But not everyone can get to Insite, according to Lampkin.
“Insite is all right, but it’s not the magic bullet,” he said.
Some drug users are “red-zoned” or banned from the area around Insite by police, said Lampkin.
Others stay away because of conflicts with other users or staff.
There can also be lineups.
“One time a girl came and told me there were 44 people in front of her,” said Lampkin.
That kind of lineup would represent a considerable wait, because users take an average of 15 to 20 minutes each. Some take considerably longer.
Another problem is with assisted injection, because some heroin users need help to take their drugs.
Staff at Insite are not allowed to assist injections.
“What’s the use of going there if you can’t get the proper help?” said Lampkin.
The alternative is to use an alley and get help from whoever is present, although that can lead to robberies.
Lampkin said that’s a particular problem for women.
“They’re more likely to have violence perpetrated on them,” he said.
There were 21 overdoses Sunday and Monday at Insite, the supervised drug injection facility on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Gavin Wilson, a spokesman for Coastal Health, revealed the count Monday after the Vancouver Police Department had issued an alert a day earlier pointing to about 12 overdoses and the death of a woman, believed to be related to some potent heroin.
But the police statement noted that the exact cause of the woman’s death had to be confirmed by the B.C. Coroners Service.
Wilson said 16 overdoses occurred through the evening Sunday, and another five occurring Monday through to mid-afternoon.,
He said the recent spike in overdoses at Insite was “a very high number.”
So far through 2014, Wilson said, the overdose rate averaged 10 to 12 a week, so 16 in one day was unusual.
There has never been an overdose death at Insite, he said.
“Heroin overdoses don’t need to be fatal,” said Wilson. “They’re reversible if caught in time.”
A drug called Naloxone is used to counter the effects of heroin.
Hugh Lampkin, president of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), said his organization was notified about the potent heroin Sunday and, like other agencies in the area, is spreading the news.
“Down here, word of mouth is faster than anything,” Lampkin said.
There’s also some conjecture about the problem.
“I think right now the consensus is that it’s probably laced with Fentanyl,” said Lampkin.
Fentanyl is an opiate used for chronic pain and is often administered through patches on the skin.
But Fentanyl is also stronger than heroin, which could explain the overdoses.
Wilson said the cause for the overdose, whether it’s Fentanyl, some other agent or just potent heroin, hasn’t been determined.
Police are advising users not to consume drugs by themselves, and to use Insite.
But not everyone can get to Insite, according to Lampkin.
“Insite is all right, but it’s not the magic bullet,” he said.
Some drug users are “red-zoned” or banned from the area around Insite by police, said Lampkin.
Others stay away because of conflicts with other users or staff.
There can also be lineups.
“One time a girl came and told me there were 44 people in front of her,” said Lampkin.
That kind of lineup would represent a considerable wait, because users take an average of 15 to 20 minutes each. Some take considerably longer.
Another problem is with assisted injection, because some heroin users need help to take their drugs.
Staff at Insite are not allowed to assist injections.
“What’s the use of going there if you can’t get the proper help?” said Lampkin.
The alternative is to use an alley and get help from whoever is present, although that can lead to robberies.
Lampkin said that’s a particular problem for women.
“They’re more likely to have violence perpetrated on them,” he said.
