PETERS – Observations on drug use from fire chief, top cop are illuminating but not gospel
(Image: CFJC Today)
IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WE TAKE SERIOUSLY the comments from our fire chief and our police superintendent this week about drug use. It’s also important we add some context to what they were saying.
At the city’s policing committee meeting this week, RCMP Superintendent Jeff Pelley and KFR Chief Ken Uzeloc were asked about their operations’ experiences dealing with drug use in the city since decriminalization came into effect on the last day of January.
The two were put on the spot and had to speak extemporaneously. Pelley responded briefly that his officers had been dealing with more open drug use in the period of decriminalization. Uzeloc quoted first quarter overdose statistics, saying naloxone use increased dramatically.
On the surface, these observations fly in the face of the province’s claims that decriminalization would not increase drug use, but rather help destigmatize those who suffer from substance use disorder.
Off-the-cuff statements like this are only partly helpful.
James Peters is the radio anchor at CFJC, coming to Kamloops in 2006. He anchors the afternoon news on B-100 and 98.3 CIFM, and contributes weekly editorials to the CFJC Evening News. He tweets regularly @Jamloops.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Peters making “observations” about the inadequacies of the observations from the front line fellows who have to deal with this screwed up mess day in day out. Mr. Peters and his cohort Mr. Collins should go along for the ride sometime and also pause their fast scribbling and work on digging up the hard data they so clamour about. Then the public will feel totally reassured the plan is working despite some early teething problems. Let’s look at some hard data on the successful reintegration of zombies into society.
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There are three players in this: our Fire Chief who has a long career in first response, the Commanding Officer of the local RCMP detachment who also has a long career in first response and a first year City councillor.
When the Fire Chief and RCMP Superintendent were asked for information on the matter of response to the drug overdose problems since the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs was made legal, each of the two experienced men responded in a manner that would have been acceptable to just about anyone listening. Why? Because most people would have an implicit trust that these two guys know what they are hired to do and know what they are talking about.
Apparently, what they said cannot be considered “gospel” but simply gives an “imperfect observation”, according to a very astute rookie City Councillor.
As an outsider, I could guess that the Fire Chief and RCMP Superintendent might be somewhat insulted, but insulted might not be the best word to use. For a rookie politician to imply these two men don’t have the experience to express themselves accurately borders on ground where a rookie politician might not want to find herself or himself.
An apology would be appropriate. I might think this should be sooner than later……regardless how the Community Charter might read. The taxpayers are already on the hook for defending one defamation lawsuit. We can’t afford any more.
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It should be blatantly obvious by now that lowering or completely removing barriers to drug use or other bad bad behaviors will not result in less of that behavior. Pelley and Uzeloc’s comments as frontline personnel should be highly regarded as on-point, as they and their staff are seeing the results of decriminalization every day. Decriminalization is a fool’s errand, and “removing the stigma” of “substance use disorder”, or as it is more properly called, drug addiction, will do nothing to help with the problem. Making drugs easier to get and use, including the idea of safe supply etc, is not harm reduction, it is simply harm. The goal MUST be to get people off drugs and get them well again. We are only making the problem worse with these namby-pamby policies and terminology. Sorry, but real change will only come when safe supply is tied to treatment. Until then, all we are doing is warehousing addicts and perpetuating the public health and social issues associated with addiction.
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