Nearly 200 drug users, former users, advocates and allies marched the streets of Vancouver Tuesday as part of a "national day of action" on the decriminalization of illicit drugs.
“Canada’s Minister of Justice, Jody Wilson-Raybould, seems to be blind to this systemic reality produced by Canadian law, and blind to the guilt our deaths cast over the Canadian justice system,” said Jordan Westfall, organizer of the event and president of the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs (CAPUD), in a press release prior to the event.
According to the B.C. Coroners Service, 1,422 people died of a suspected drug overdose in B.C. last year, with 358 in Vancouver.
Of those deaths, 88 per cent occurred inside, with 60 per cent in a private residence and 28 per cent in other inside locations. Others occurred outside on the streets, sidewalks, parks and in vehicles.
The majority of people who died — 82 per cent — were males, with 90 per cent of overall deaths occurring to people between 19 and 59.
“The 2017 data reflects the most tragic year ever with respect to illicit drug deaths in British Columbia,” said Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe, when the findings were released in January.
The march started at 12:30 p.m. at Victory Square and ended at the law courts.
Rallies were held across Canada in Victoria, Prince George, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.
—With files from Mike Howell
