Surrey harm reduction group says pop-up inhalation site won’t be its last

The people behind a temporary unsanctioned drug inhalation site in Surrey this week say it’s likely they’ll open it back up again as they try to meet the needs of the community.

The Surrey Union of Drug Users says the demand for a safe place to use is far greater than what’s being offered by official sources.

“In Surrey, we have one safe inhalation site with two injection sites. But all of that is located in the Whalley neighborhood. And so we’re asking that there be supervised inhalation services with extended hours,” community organizer Anmol Swaich told CityNews.

Swaich explains the only inhalation facility in the community currently closes at 9 p.m., and it’s not convenient for a lot of people looking for a safe site.

“To get from Newton to Whalley is well over an hour,” Swaish explained. “It’s just not a feasible solution for people who want to be monitored and be able to safely use drugs.”

Swaich says the group is also looking for a permanent facility, pressuring the province to purchase land for the site.

“We’re going to need these sites or else we’re going to continue to see rising fatalities,” Swaich said. “The lease for the existing safe ventilation site in Surrey is actually up in November of this year, and any significant closures or reduction in services is going to put more people at risk of dying.

“Since 2016, when the public health emergency was called, more than 1,700 people have died from toxic unregulated drug poisonings in Surrey. Just this year alone, we know that over 70 people have passed away from unregulated drug toxicity in the city.”

Swaich says the situation in Surrey is “extremely desperate.”

“We need urgent responses to the overdose crisis in Surrey, as well as the drug poisoning crisis. … in Surrey, as well as around the province, we need people to be willing to act to save lives,” she said.

“If we had six people a day drowning in B.C., we would be immediately acting, we’d be doing something to make sure that six people weren’t dying or drowning every single day.”