Vaughn Palmer: New Democrats finally, grudgingly acknowledge the problem, but only after opportunities for denial, evasion and coverup were exhausted
VICTORIA — The New Democrats halted the free and easy distribution of safer-supply drugs this week after two years of denying that the drugs were being diverted to an illicit market overseen by organized crime.
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Henceforth, safer-supply drugs can only be consumed under the direct supervision of health-care professionals, ending the open-air markets that flourished outside the entrances to legitimate pharmacies across the province.
“We are requiring that the use of prescribed alternatives must be witnessed by a health professional … ensuring that they are consumed by their intended recipient,” said the announcement, using the NDP’s preferred term (“prescribed alternatives”) for safer supply drugs.
“This will remove the risk of these medications from ending up in the hands of gangs and organized crime.”
The statement from Health Minister Josie Osborne Wednesday marked the first time the New Democrats had publicly admitted the involvement of organized crime in the diversion of safer-supply drugs.
Osborne issued the statement at midday, shortly before the first question period of the new legislature session.
In question period, the New Democrats faced a proper roasting over a leaked Health Ministry document that confirmed safer-supply drugs “are not being consumed by their intended recipients” and “are trafficked provincially, nationally and internationally.”
Leading the challenge was Opposition MLA Elenore Sturko. She’s the former RCMP officer who first raised concerns about diversion of safer-supply drugs in February 2023.
Outside the house, Sturko was briefly overcome with emotion by Osborne’s belated admission.
“It made me think of the first time that a parent had called me and their child had died of a fentanyl overdose and they found these safe supply pills in the room,” Sturko told reporters. “Their child had started their path to addiction from diverted safe supply.”
The government’s reversal meant vindication for Sturko and those journalists who persisted in detailing the diversion of safer-supply drugs.
Still, the New Democrats will not concede that their critics were right.
True to form for Osborne. When Sturko released the leaked report two weeks ago, the health minister claimed it could compromise an ongoing investigation into the diversion of safer-supply drugs.
“It is just appalling that this would be done by the Opposition,” fumed Osborne, blaming the leaker over her own government’s coverup of the evidence.
She stuck to that line of defence Wednesday, claiming the New Democrats had on the case since last year and were focusing on several dozen “bad actor” pharmacies that were profiting from safer supply.
Sturko fired back that the greater problem was a government that failed to exercise proper control and scrutiny over the distribution, diversion and resale of dangerous and lucrative drugs.
Premier David Eby, in defending the NDP response, cited a statement from the provincial association of chiefs of police that was delivered into his hands in the midst of question period.
The chiefs had approved the government’s switch to “witnessed ingestion” of safer-supply drugs, Eby told the house.
The police chiefs said that while harm-reduction efforts matter, “it is equally essential that these programs are structured in a way that prevents unintended consequences, including the illegal redistribution of prescribed substances.”
Eby: “We agree entirely. That’s why we’ve taken the step of moving to witnessed ingestion. It is a challenging decision because we know it will limit access of some people to the program, but it’s a necessary step, and I’m glad to have the support of the police.”
The premier and his colleagues got a greater helping hand from the police this time last year.
Back then, news organizations were picking up on reports from RCMP detachments in Prince George and elsewhere about the burgeoning diversion of and illicit trade in safer-supply drugs.
Then came a March 11, 2024, internal RCMP memo that directed detachments to route all communications through headquarters on “hot button” issues, including drug seizures, decriminalization and the like.
Detachments were warned against speaking publicly about “controversial or high-profile topics … in the pre-election time period.”
The quasi-gag order was reported publicly by Fran Yanor of the Northern Beat online news service. She also found that the RCMP detachments that had confirmed the diversion of safer-supply drugs were now routing her questions through headquarters.
The disruption of the flow of information to the news media allowed then Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth to claim that “police have no evidence to suggest there is widespread diversion of safe supply drugs.”
In short, NDP policy amounted to “don’t ask, don’t tell — and especially don’t tell the news media.”
For all Eby’s insistence this week that the New Democrats won’t stand for diversion, they stood by it for two years despite whistle-blowing by Sturko and news organizations.
The premier and his ministers had likewise discounted the problems of open drug use until belatedly conceding last year that it had to be curbed.
It has become a pattern with this government’s failing experiment in drug decriminalization.
The New Democrats do, finally, grudgingly, get around to acknowledging the problem and fixing it. But only after they have exhausted all the opportunities for denial, evasion and coverup.