As shocking as this might seem, maybe legal heroin could help combat the province’s opioid crisis and organized crime as well, according to expert opinions.
This idea is presented in a brand new report that has been released recently by the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use.
Rise in deaths and organized crime
They suggest that providing legal heroin to users via the establishment of some so-called heroin compassion clubs would be able to help reduce overdose deaths by making sure that the drug supply that’s used doesn’t contain any fentanyl.
“Over the last two years, almost 3,000 British Columbians have died, and we’ve seen tremendous growth in organized crime because of the profitability of fentanyl,” said Dr. Evan Wood, executive director of the B.C. Centre on Substance Abuse.
“Recent investigations have concluded that about $5 billion is being laundered every year through the B.C. real estate market, and I can say with a lot of confidence that is just the tip of the iceberg,” Wood added.
The expert also noted that elected officials have privately acknowledged the fentanyl epidemic is a natural consequence of heroin prohibition.
Other medical experts who have contributed to this report said that one kilogram of fentanyl which can be obtained not too hard and it’s not that expensive online could be sold on the streets afterward for about $10 million.
Benefits of such regulation
Experts hope that be legally regulating heroin, sales would have a multi-prolonged effect, and this would reduce fentanyl poisoning deaths.
This move would also reportedly prevent opiod addition by limiting heroin access to users of fentanyl. It would also stop illicit proceeds of organized crime.
Dr. Keith Ahamad, medical director of Vancouver Coastal Health’s Regional Addiction Program, said the following via GlobalNews.ca:
“To be clear, we are not going to let up on creating a comprehensive addiction treatment system. But this model for providing legally regulated heroin to stop overdose deaths now is desperately needed.”
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