B.C. drug user advocates concerned over political support for forced treatment

Drug policy experts and people who use drugs say they’re concerned that both the BC NDP and the B.C. Conservative Party could be open to forced treatment options.

Earlier this week, the B.C. Conservatives promised to force people with substance use disorders into treatment, if the party forms government.

During David Eby’s race for the premiership two years ago, the BC NDP leader also suggested involuntary care was needed for severe overdose cases.

“If they’re actually really worried about people, and they want them in treatment, they don’t understand that forcing them is not the right way to do it,” said Dave Hamm, a board member with the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU).

Eby wouldn’t directly respond to a question about his position on involuntary treatment during a press conference on Thursday.

He described a group of patients in the province with untreated mental health issues, who are addicted to opioids and have brain injuries from repeated overdoses.

“We brought in Dr. Daniel Vigo, an expert in this area, he does assertive care in the province,” said Eby.

“He’s been working with us to identity a better path to support this unique group of patients that really needs our support to stay alive … we’ll have more to say about that this week — I think Sunday is the planned day for that.”

The BC Conservative Party has said its involuntary treatment program would support people who “pose a risk to themselves and others.”

At the moment, people can be taken into involuntary care under B.C.’s Mental Health Act if they pose a risk to themselves or others, but what the Conservatives have put forward is specific to substance use.

“For many decades, we have seen that involuntary care doesn’t work. It’s not effective, and it can have serious repercussions,” said DJ Larkin, executive director for the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition.

Larkin says the research on forced treatment has shown it doesn’t work at a systemic level, and it has been harmful.

“One of the key concerns is that someone who is put through an involuntary care process — if they used drugs from the unregulated market after that, they are at dramatically higher risk of fatal overdose.”

Scotty Archondous said he’s having trouble getting into voluntary addiction treatment. He says he was rejected three times when tried to go to treatment because rapid access clinic staff told him they didn’t have space.

“Going forward with a forced treatment – I question whether the logistics are there for people to even go into voluntary treatment, let alone a mandatory treatment,” said Archondous.

Garth Mullins with VANDU said no matter which party forms government, there will be a hill to climb when drug user advocates try to have their voices heard.

“VANDU is really concerned that both the government and the Conservatives are now talking about involuntary treatment, at a time when voluntary treatment is not accessible,” said Mullins.

“We don’t need a world where police or judges or some kind of official is empowered to lock us up.”

As of July, 1,365 people died from unregulated drugs this year in B.C. according to Coroners Service data. It continues to be the leading cause of unnatural death in the province.