International Drug Awareness Day 2018

By Scott Douglas Jacobsen

​​According to Global News, there was a harm reduction or drug overdose symposium in Kelowna entitled International Drug Overdose Awareness Day 2018. It is the second one.

There have been overdoses in British Columbia. These reflect the national statistics of overdoses. Indeed, there has been a continual increase in the number of overdoses in British Columbia.

In only July of 2017, there were 134 drug-overdose deaths — “suspected” — to have, unfortunately, occurred. In fact, 17 were within the Interior Health Authority.

This conference amounts to a concerned parties gathering with Moms Stop the Harm, Interior Health, politicians, and service providers helping with the overall event.

One purpose of an event such as this one is the work to decrease the harms associated with drug abuse or overuse.

As stated by Dr. Silvina Mema, Interior Health Officer, “Stigma prevents people from accessing services… Stigma prevents people from asking for help. Stigma is killing people.”

The stigma creates a sense and cycle of shame around the use of substances, which can prevent those who might, otherwise, get help from actually seeking assistance. It, in fact, causes harm — the stigma of drugs and drug users.

One woman with Moms Stop the Harm, Helen Jennings, stated, “Now with the Good Samaratin (Law), you’re not afraid of calling 911, even if you’re using yourself.”

Since spring 2017, there has been the Good Samaritan Law to provide some level of immunity for the individuals who are caught with simple possession of drugs, in the case of those who call 911 with an emergency of an overdose needing treatment.

Another resource of the area is the Living Positive Resource Centre, which is in Kelowna and based on the harm reduction methodology support by the scientific evidence.

Another initiative is Living Positive to give out complimentary naloxone kits. Furthermore, there are lessons in how to properly use them.

Photo by Art by Lønfeldt on Unsplash

Member-at-Large/Writer

(Last Update: September 28, 2016)

Scott Douglas Jacobsen researches and presents independent panels, papers, and posters, and with varied research labs and groups, and part-time in landscaping (lifting, mowing, and raking) and gardening (digging, planting, and weeding). He is the Founder of In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal and In-Sight Publishing. UCI Ethics Center awarded him with the distinction of Francisco Ayala Scholar (2014) for mentoring, presenting, researching, and writing. If you want to contact Scott, you may inquire or comment through e-mail: Scott.D.Jacobsen@Gmail.com.

He published in American Enterprise Institute, Annaborgia, Conatus News, Earth Skin & Eden, Fresh Start Recovery Centre, Gordon Neighbourhood House, Huffington Post, In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, Jolly Dragons, Kwantlen Polytechnic University Psychology Department, La Petite Mort, Learning Analytics Research Group, Lifespan Cognition Psychology Lab, Lost in Samara, Marijuana Party of Canada, MomMandy, Noesis: The Journal of the Mega Society, Piece of Mind, Production Mode, Synapse, TeenFinancial, The Peak, The Ubyssey, The Voice Magazine, Transformative Dialogues, Treasure Box Kids, Trusted Clothes.


Originally published at cssdp.org on September 3, 2018.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the Founder of In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal and In-Sight Publishing. Jacobsen supports science and human rights.

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