On Friday afternoon, Vancouver Police raided High Hopes, a cannabis harm reduction program in the Downtown Eastside that aims to provide drug users in the area with a safer, non-deadly alternative to opioids, according to program coordinator Sarah Blythe.
She captured video of the cannabis seizure and shared it on Twitter.
VPD just siezed cannabis replacement program #vanpoli walked right by fentany dealers with it #beyondthecallpic.twitter.com/lVWfoKfN3W
— Sarah Blyth (@sarahblyth) September 14, 2018
As she calls out the officers for “taking opioid replacements for people”, the officers helpfully tell her that “marijuana is still illegal” while ignoring the fact that by doing this, the VPD has put people’s lives in danger because the whole point of the High Hopes cannabis replacement program is to get people off of opioids, and it gave the cannabis away for free (or at a very low cost).
This is completely ridiculous. Not only is cannabis being used as medicine to try and save lives in the midst of the opioid crisis, cannabis is supposed to be legal in little over a month! Where are the priorities?
#vanpoli they took our medicine away @DrMtyndall @pivotlegal @ZoeDodd @tlupick research program has been stolen fromVPD shame pic.twitter.com/Bd99nqFm67
— Sarah Blyth (@sarahblyth) September 14, 2018
The backlash to the VPD’s raid on High Hopes has been swift, with Dana Larsen, the owner of The Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary, pledging to send over more cannabis immediately.
Vancouver police seizing cannabis from the Overdose Prevention Site.
There’s 100 dispensaries selling cannabis in Vancouver, but @VancouverPD targets the @vancouverops which provides it to opiate users for substitution..?
We’ll send down some more cannabis today Sarah! https://t.co/tURFcy066E
— Dana Larsen (@DanaLarsen) September 14, 2018
Karen Ward, a DTES-based activist, even called the VPD raid illegal.
they took our stuff and now we’re pissed off. that was an illegal seizure of pharmaceutical samples that were part of a research study. @VancouverPD@BCCSU@CDCofBC@bccla@DanaLarsen@DrMtyndall@MikePHager@AndreaWoo@MayorGregor@KQ_VanCityhttps://t.co/tsaOPSi9P6
— Karen Ward (@kwardvancouver) September 14, 2018
This brings up big questions about Vancouver’s commitment to harm reduction.
This must be that @VancouverPD commitment to harm reduction we’ve heard so much about. Is this why @MayorGregor said “don’t get hung up on decriminalization” at #opioidsymposium2018? Mayor, tell your police board: No seizing drugs. No arresting subsistence dealers. #VPDoutofDTES https://t.co/NbalbHVqW6
— Garth Mullins (@garthmullins) September 14, 2018
According to a CTV News story, 50% of the participants in the High Hopes program have reduced their dependency on street drugs and 25% have quit opioids altogether.
Clinic we featured offering free #cannabis to help illicit drug users detox – raided by Vancouver police today – according to founder @sarahblyth Our story on the High Hopes program https://t.co/deJ2jvnHNl #opoids
— Avis Favaro (@CTV_AvisFavaro) September 14, 2018
Understandably, many people are asking why this raid was even conducted in the first place.
This is where we are: police seizing drugs from a promising substitution program operating adjacent to an overdose prevention site during a devastating overdose crisis.
This is why drug decriminalization is the only path forward, @GPTaylorMRD, @liberal_party, @JustinTrudeauhttps://t.co/jlLxFhom4w
— Ryan McNeil (@rs_mcneil) September 14, 2018
I would like to hear from District 2 Inspector Ian Upton on this. I spoke with Ian on Tuesday evening and found him very rational in his approach. This doesn’t fit with what I understood his priorities to be, and I can’t see what seizing cannabis from @vancouverops accomplishes.
— Adrian Crook for City Council (@adriancrook) September 14, 2018
Give us back our medicine #vanpoli@TalkingDogCo@meagankatsirispic.twitter.com/agEFLubfsQ
— Sarah Blyth (@sarahblyth) September 14, 2018
Maybe the only good thing to come out of this is if you’re outraged by this VPD raid, make sure to get out and vote for Sarah Blythe, the High Hopes organizer and Overdose Prevention Society founder, who’s running for Vancouver City Council.
Vancouver Police Respond
VPD officers seized cannabis products displayed for sale today at an unmanned table at the market at 62 E. Hastings Street. No one would claim ownership of the products, so they were taken to the #VPD property office for destruction.
— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) September 14, 2018
Featured image courtesy of the Georgia Straight.
Sources
CTV News: Free cannabis offered at B.C. clinic to help illicit drug users detox