Speech

Front 1

At 10 a.m. a line of people wait to enter. Inside, a row of booths are numbered from 1 to 12. Each booth is lined with a safe sharp disposal container and a full length mirror. Alcohol swabs and tourniquet bands are strewn across the tables. No, this is not a flu shot clinic or a doctor’s office. This is a safe injection facility. This is Insite. And this is the holy grail of harm reduction.

Front 2

Heroin usage is one of the most controversial debates to occur in our current society. We preach that drugs are never the answer and there’s always a way to turn things around. But a lot of time, in fact most of time, it’s never that simple. Today, I want to spark a conversation that is far overdue. A conversation that is critical to the advancement of this stagnant debate. Researching heroin addictions, I asked myself, “If I somehow became addicted heroin, would I be able to stop?”

Front 3

Now I’m sure, if asked the same question, we would all like to stand here and say that we could and say that we would defy the odds, but the reality is, the more you think about it, the more skeptical you become. What makes me so different from everyone else? Take Willy for instance.

Front 4

Willy is in his late forties and has been a regular heroin user for 3 years now. He has had 8 heroin overdoses and also suffers from end stage cirrhosis of the liver due to his constant drug abuse. Willy is one of the approximately 669,000 people in the US that used heroin in 2012, a 65% increase from 2002. If I had seen Willy’s photograph from 5 years ago, I would have said he was probably a dad. Looking at him now with his scars and his bruises, I’m not so sure.

Front 5

What causes heroin addiction? While no concrete cause has been identified on a global basis, most researchers agree with the 4 most widely accepted causes: genetic, biological, environmental and psychological. So I’m pretty sure all of you have figured out that my message to you today is that heroin overdoses are dangerous and “drugs are bad” but I’m also fairly confident that message is already prevalent in our society and you don’t need me here to tell you the same thing.

Front 6

The big question is: Now what? My answer to you is that it's very unlikely heroin will suddenly become legal anytime soon, even though it would radically reduce crime, corruption, the problems of unregulated drugs, and improve public safety. But what I can tell you is that in the meantime, we have to end this War on Drugs and embrace new drug policies grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights. What I can tell you is that in short, we need embrace heroin harm reduction.

Front 7

I would agree with any person in this room that heroin is bad but I’ve come to accept the fact that nothing we do will change that and these users are unwilling and afraid to join the system and access help when they need it because we have enacted laws that will punish them for doing so. Our problem is that we’ve been stubborn in acknowledging this fact but we have to start making decisions for the safety of our families.

Front 8

Heroin harm reduction — as opposed to an abstinence model — is not a new idea. It refers to policies, programs and practices that aim to reduce the negative health, social and economic consequences that may ensue from the use of heroin, without necessarily reducing drug use. Up until now, our society has failed to acknowledge its benefits and this idea of meeting people who can help you without judgment but after decades of false starts, this policy is finally finding political traction, and not a moment too soon.

Front 9

What’s the plan in enabling harm reduction principles? I’m going to tell you three letters that make up one word. E.N.D. Education, Needles, and Drugs. End. Because realistically, we need to be ending the harms associated with heroin usage rather than trying to end heroin usage as a whole, rather than trying to do the impossible.

Front 10

Let’s start with E for Education. The only way to change a society and keep it safe is by creating awareness and educating our users. The first step to ensuring that drug users are provided with maximum health care is to provide overdose prevention training. FROST’D is a mobile heroin harm reduction program based in New York City. The van allows for a safe space for drug users to enter and educate themselves on how to properly administer drugs and take all precautions against overdoses and transmitted diseases. FROST’D is one of the leading organizations that has brought critical acclaim to heroin harm reduction practices. We need to be implementing more programs similar to FROST’D in our own communities to keep our own people safe.

Front 11

Now let’s look at N for Needles. The basis for the protection and health safety relies on the usage of clean, sterile, needles. Too often, drug users are using contaminated needles while injecting. When we create needle exchange programs, we’re going to give the people tools that, for the day at least, make it less likely they’ll contract HIV, hepatitis C, or any other disease from reusing needles. Although an effective and obvious solution, needle exchanges are still illegal in many states and can’t be funded with government money.

Front 12

Finally, let’s look at D for Drugs. A drug called naloxone that reverses overdoses from heroin works by blocking opioid receptors in the brain and sending the overdosing person into withdrawal almost immediately. It is one of the most amazing drugs to exist. It doesn’t get a user high, it’s non addictive, and doesn’t negatively affect someone who isn’t OD’ing on opiates — the only downside is that it’s a temporary fix, and if the survivor doesn’t get to the ER, the person could fall back into overdose

Front 13

Still, it requires a prescription, which makes it harder to get in the hands of drug users and their families. Right now, only doctors and paramedics have direct access to these drugs. Unfortunately, these people are rarely present at the scene soon enough. We need to be distributing this drug in a more widespread manner especially because heroin is a largely social drug.

Front 14

Take a look Insite. You might recognize the word from earlier. Insite is a supervised injection facility in East Vancouver. Opened in 2003, advocates speak about Insite with awe. Clients there, who sign in with an alias, are allowed to bring illegal drugs to the office. They administer in a booth, and in the event of an overdose, a trained nurse administers naloxone. After its opening, neighborhood overdoses dropped 35% and crime rates either stayed level or decreased. They get about two ODs a day and there have been no overdose deaths at Insite, ever.

Front 15

What do I want you take from what I’ve told you? Firstly, heroin is dangerous. Secondly, even though I agree that heroin is dangerous and something that isn’t ok, we need to accept that fact and come to the realization that if we keep these people alive, we are doing more good than we are at the moment. Finally, if you ever come to a situation where you use heroin, or need help with someone you know, or simply want to change the lives of others for the better and keep our children healthy and happy, remember END. Educate yourself, use sterile needles and be near drugs that will keep you safe. We need to start adopting views that will embrace humanity and compassion. Because at the end of the day, the only thing that’s important is that everyone comes home to their families safe and alive.