On BC's recent fentanyl "emergency."

The market for recreational escapism in our 24hr on-the-ball culture will not ebb. These deaths are shameful. https://t.co/DsiZXYFQOG

— Jeffrey Nordstrom (@jeffnords) April 14, 2016

British Columbia has declared a public health emergency over the recent rise in fentanyl-related deaths. Good on 'em. ​

The numbers themselves are harrowing. The Globe and Mail wrote,

B.C. had 76 illicit drug overdose deaths in January, the highest total in a single month since at least 2007. At its current rate, the province could have 600 to 800 overdose deaths this year, Dr. Kendall said in a news conference on Thursday. B.C. had 474 such deaths last year, a significant increase from 211 in 2010.
​
The number of B.C. illicit drug overdose deaths linked to fentanyl, an opioid up to 100 times more potent than morphine, has also surged, from 5 per cent in 2012 to about 31 per cent last year. Of the 201 overdose deaths in B.C. so far this year, 64 were associated with fentanyl.

It seems to me that "state of emergency" is an appropriate term to use, considering those statistics.

I think it's shameful that anybody needs to die due to poor public policy. I believe these deaths stem from a refusal to educate people due to matters of criminalization, which creates an abusive black market.

I don't know how to write about this as a coherent post with a beginning, middle, and end. So here's a  bulleted list:

• I believe the War on Drugs has been ineffective. It hasn't worked. Cartels in Mexico, the prevalence and availability of drugs anywhere—prohibition has failed. It always will. People will find the drugs they want, no matter how much you prohibit them. At leaste give them a chance to buy the drugs without them being "laced" with impurities.
• As a public school teacher, I think a lot about effective education. It is impossible to teach students how to respond to drug-related situations when it's criminalized because the black market is not regulated. If you want to teach students about how to deal with something, they need to know what they're dealing with. But with the prohibition program, we never know what we're dealing with. Hence people buying MDMA and finding themselves poisoned by fentanyl. They can't be educated about MDMA safety nearly as effectively as we can educate them about alcohol and nicotine safety because the criminal aspect creates an enormous grey zone. Let's get rid of the grey zone.
• As a citizen, I want accurate information. Why should I listen to people who say drugs are all bad, all the time, when there are so many people who have used those drugs and been just fine? The anecdotal evidence is vast, but citizens deserve better than that. We can only have accurate information if we can study these drugs in a controlled environment, and this is very difficult when the substance is criminalized.
• As a citizen, I want to be able to experience drugs safely. Just as I can trust that my Tylenol is what it says it is, if I need to use some sort of currently-illicit drug for something, I want to do it safely.
• As a father, I want my children to have a wide swathe of experiences growing up, but I want them to have safe options. I know they will likely experiment with a drug or two, but as long as they are prohibited, they won't really know what they're getting into. So regulate it.
• As an artist, I want people to experience my art in any way they wish. If they want to get themselves high beforehand, go for it. If they can get drunk at a show, they should be able to also consume other drugs at that show, if thise drugs are regulated in a similar manner.
• Criminalization of drugs creates criminals out of users. This is a waste of law enforcement energy. Let the bureaucrats deal with users and let the police deal with real criminal matters.
• As I noted in the Tweet above, our culture is stressful and busy. There is no "simple life" when everyone needs money, when practically every family needs two working parents. The need for escape from this system is strong, and hallucinogens, stimulants, and downers are an effective short-term solution to those who can't break from the system in a more everyday manner. The demand will always be there and always grow. There's no escape from the demand—we need regulation.

(As I look at this list, obviously safety and transparency are important to me. Hmm.)

The following podcast with Johann Hari discusses an upcoming UN summit on worldwide drug policy:

Thank you for this timely podcast. @pointofinquiry #warondrugs #RIPwarondrugs #decriminalization https://t.co/ZqhoZLy20L

— Jeffrey Nordstrom (@jeffnords) April 15, 2016

Hari made this succinct thesis, paraphrasing Ruth Dreifuss, who legalized heroin in Switzerland:

When you hear the phrase "legalization" what you picture is violence and anarchy. What we have right now with the Drug War is violence and anarchy. We have unknown criminals selling unknown chemicals to unknown drug users—all in the dark, all filled with violence and disease. Legalization is the way you restore order to that violence and chaos.

I agree. Bring it out in the open and regulate it for safety's sake. Let's stop this prudish silliness and learn how to deal with culture without criminalization.