BC mother of overdose victim wants to end the war on drugs

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It’s time to end the war on drugs. That’s the argument being put forward by a woman who lost her only son to an overdose, as the feds put forward Bill C-37.

Leslie McBain, who lost her son Jordan two years ago, is pleased the federal government has put forward the proposed legislation which would make it easier to set up supervised injection sites, like Insite on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

But she adds a better answer would be making untainted drugs available to those who are addicted — which she believes would save lives. “We firmly believe that the only way to stop the fentanyl crisis is to end the war on drugs, to provide safe, clean, pure opioids to people who need it,” says McBain. “In that way, stop the deaths, the overdoses, and support people who are drug users.”

McBain also wants subsidized recovery programs available for those who are trying to get help because even when people ask for support, it’s not always there. “I would like to see more and better access, free access, subsidized access, to recovery options,” explains McBain. “It’s not one size fits all for people who would like to go into recovery. It’s very difficult for people to one day decide, ‘OK, this is it. I don’t want to take these drugs. I need help. I need recovery, and then to find that.”

She says she’d like to see a so-called crisis mode of recovery options.

McBain reminds parents to speak with their children about the risks of drugs, and never to use pills or powder.

She is featured in an awareness campaign funded by the provincial government. This year, an average of two people have died per day in our province as a result of illicit drug overdoses. Overall, there have been more than 620 deadly drug overdoses in BC between January and October, according to the BC Coroners Service.

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