Kanada. The Shameful Closure of North America’s Busiest Safe Consumption Site
Kanada. The Shameful Closure of North America’s Busiest Safe Consumption Site
We Canadians may like to think of ourselves as more progressive than our southern neighbours when it comes to drug policy. Truth is, we’re only ever one election away from regression and fear-mongering based on stigma, racism and a refusal to acknowledge the evidence behind harm reduction.
Although Health Canada has reiterated current federal support for safe consumption sites (SCS) and endorsed programs providing a safe supply of drugs, each province and territory is ultimately in control of its own healthcare. This leaves harm reduction services in a precarious position.
Nowhere has this been more shamefully illustrated than in Alberta, where the provincial government forced North America’s busiest SCS to shut down on August 31, of all days: International Overdose Awareness Day. (Filter, USA, 24.09.2020)