It seems everywhere in the world has an issue or an ongoing “war on drugs” and Vancouver, Canada is no exception. Although Vancouver is known for its idyllic landscapes, great beaches, and it’s delicious food, there is also a darker side to Vancouver’s drug lifestyle. Through the years there has been an increase in the 90s and a decrease seen in the mid to late 2010’s in drug abuse trends, but with those numbers, what can be done and what has been done to help those afflicted with addiction. But, drug rehabs in Vancouver provide successful treatment programs. Keep reading to find out more about what’s happening and what’s being done to help.
Drug history in Vancouver
Vancouver has a bit of a history of illicit drug abuse, especially in the mid-nineties and the early 2000s. There was a steady increase in crack cocaine and meth abuse in those years; the use of meth growing even more from 2010 and on. There was an attempt to stop the use of syringe drug usage so they government began a syringe exchange program, hoping to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS through individuals who abused drugs through syringe injection. Although many attempts were made to create a new program to take the place of the closed syringe exchange business, but nothing was ever able to properly take its place. By the year 2010, the use of syringe injected drugs was nearly double what it was in the nineties.
Recent Trends
In the more recent years, there has been a decline in syringe sharing and an overall decline in crack cocaine usage since 2007. With the current decline in mind, we must still remember that there is a large amount of drug abusers still within Vancouver. As you can assume with any other kind of crime driven activity, the abuse of drugs in Vancouver has also seen some severe cases of violence related to the selling and buying of illicit drugs.
One of the largest problems Vancouver faces in the drug crisis is the abuse of opioids, which is reflected elsewhere in the world and especially in North America. Even though this is a major threat to the people of Vancouver, this is not even the most abused substance in the area.
Most heavily used substance
According to some recent statistics, the most abused substance in Vancouver is crack at roughly 85% of the total Vancouver drug arrests, followed closely by marijuana, cocaine, and heroin.
Crystal Meth and Methadone are lower statistically than they have been in years, which shows that some of the attempts and public programs put into effect are working to help lower the ongoing drug abuse epidemic.
Thankfully, the statistics on teenagers abusing drugs have been on the decline. Of teen drug usage, the most prevalent abused substance is cannabis, which though it is an abused substance, it doesn’t result in the number of deaths that many other drugs cause with overdose and abuse. The group with the highest rate of death and overdose within Vancouver are adults between the ages of 30-39 years old.
What is being done?
The Vancouver government has issued a strategy in fighting the drug epidemic in Vancouver. They call this strategy the four pillar approach. This is not a new theory as it was first introduced in Europe in the 90s. As the name would suggest, there are four basic parts to the four pillar approach:
– Harm reduction: this main principle looks at the way to reduce harm to those individuals and communities impacted by this trend of drug abuse. This pillar attempts to set goals for control and reduce the damage done to these people. A major change implemented is several sites set up to supervise injection sites and needle exchanges. This is an attempt to not only slow down the use and abuse of injected drugs, but also to slow down the spread of HIV and AIDS.
– Prevention: as you would assume, this pillar looks at the prevention of harmful abuse of controlled and illicit drugs. Similar to the harm reduction, this pillar attempts to avoid harm to the drug abusers, their families, and the communities by preventing and educating the public of the dangers of these drugs. In this education, they are hoping to reduce the actual rate of incidence and overdoses.
– Treatment: this pillar looks at ways to better treat those who are already struggling with their addictions. This includes treatment, intervention, and medical assistance for anyone suffering from addiction and drug abuse. There have been many health centers set up throughout Vancouver to help with those who are currently sick and those who are recovering and experiencing withdrawal from their drug abuse. Vancouver has also seen a rise in clinics which provide controlled dosages of opioids in the attempt to safely wean the substance out of their system.
– Enforcement: Vancouver police department is at the heart of this pillar with an increase in police education and training in how to handle these individuals struggling with their addiction. They are there to offer safety and assistance with anyone dealing with the symptoms of the drug epidemic both in the individual and the community. They often work at injection and treatment sites, the syringe exchange sites and more to offer safety to the facility and it’s workers as well as the individuals receiving treatment.
As you can see, Vancouver has created a great strategy in the four pillar approach in an attempt to lower recidivism in criminals and drug abusers, making a safer community and a safer treatment option for those who are currently addicted or struggling with their addiction.
Although Vancouver, Canada, like many other places in the world, currently struggles with drug abuse we can see that they are taking huge steps in the attempt to rectify this type of crime and death. The trends in drug abuse in Vancouver has had it’s ups and downs, but based on many of the steps being taken, we can hope that there will be a continued decline in this type of crime, abuse, and death.
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