B.C. doctors, nurses sign open letter in support of Drug User Liberation Front

Some B.C. doctors and nurses have signed an open letter supporting the Drug User Liberation Front (DULF) in Vancouver, whose founders may be facing drug trafficking charges because of their illegal compassion club program.

“I can see folks being worried about speaking out about this issue, but again I would just reiterate that it is so important that nurses and other healthcare workers are raising our voices, and speaking out and condemning the lack of action when it comes to meaningfully addressing the drug poisoning crisis,” Trevor Goodyear told CityNews.

“This drug poisoning crisis is not getting any better, it’s getting worse. And nurses know that there’s a need for action and evidence-based action.”

Vancouver Police Department (VPD) officers raided DULF’s offices in the Downtown Eastside in October and arrested DULF’s founders, who have since been released.

For over a year, the advocacy group made it known that it was buying illicit drugs off the dark web and testing them for purity before giving them out to a group of people in order to prove it could reduce overdoses and deaths.

Last week, hundreds marched through Downtown Vancouver to support DULF’s founders and call for the Crown to not lay down any charges.

The DULF Solidarity Committee is behind the open letter signed by numerous organizations and healthcare workers in Canada and around the world condemning the arrests.

“The committee is just hoping to impress upon the public and mostly on the powers that be that there’s a groundswell happening here, where people are saying, ‘look, we do have the capacity to save peoples’ lives. They do not have to die.’ And the fact that we are letting them is shocking to me,” said Deb Bailey.

BC Coroner’s Service said 175 British Columbians died from toxic drugs in September and called on the government to let people access opioids and stimulants without a prescription.

In response, B.C.’s addictions minister Jennifer Whiteside told CityNews that moving away from a prescription model is not on the table.

“We’re now seven years into a drug poisoning crisis. The need to act is long overdue. So definitely – I encourage all nurses, healthcare workers, to get your voices out there and to call on the government to act further,” Goodyear added.