this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2026
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I was always a proponent of safe injection sites because all the experts agreed it was the best way to reduce overdoses and help people with drug addictions. What gives me pause is how it went in Vancouver and how the public turned against it to the point that it was a major election talking point. I wonder why it failed there and what can be learned from it.
Can you confirm you mean safe injection sites and not safe supply?
I could be wrong but I assumed the article was referring to safe injection sites.
You're right about that! I just thought the controversy in BC was about safe supply, but I am out of the loop and not doing a good job googling.
I worked at Dundas and Victoria for years, just around the corner from the safe injection site for years and the only way you could tell it was there was the sign. I know they were never without controversy but it would suck if they were facing increased backlash.
Before BC decriminalized and pushed for more safe supply, there was a supply issue for precursor hemicals used in fentanyl and other street drugs from China. The supply got resolved and drug use/availability went up as BC started its new policies, resulting in worse drug use. The timing was horrible and everybody assumed correlation = causation.
You'll notice that most of the people pushing on this topic are conservatives who not only oppose safe supply, but also oppose safe injection which is categorically and undisputably effective, backed by mountainas of medical evidence from around the world.
Safe injection sites save lives.
Basically, safe injection sites are step 1 in a several step process to help drug users stay safe. Step 2 is immediately available access to counselling and rehab facilities for those who want it.
Step 2 costs a lot of money, so it doesn't get implemented, and then it looks like it doesn't work. It does work. If you're building a subway system and stop after digging a big hole in the ground, it doesn't mean subways don't work; it means politicians don't care enough to make it happen.