On May 11th, Mike Ma, SJC member, and Ann Livingston, VANDU co-founder, were invited to speak the the Richmond Community Services Committee. It was a interesting meeting. They spoke about how harm reduction guides people towards detox, and that you can only get to treatment if you pass through detox first. It is both a continuum and a chicken&egg issue. As a complete wrap-around solution you must have all three working in concert together. They reminded the audience that Provincial Minister of Health, Terry Lake, and Federanl Minister of Health Jane Philpott get this, and that they are (indirectly) telling communities to go forth and do what is necessary to help people deal with their unresolved pain, trauma, and addictions. They are not standing in the way of Opioid Replacement Theraphy (ORT), Heroin Assisted Therapy (HAT), or Safe Injection Facilities (SIF).
