British Columbia Human Rights Commissioner releases statement on toxic drug crisis, calls on government to put politics aside to save lives

Vancouver B.C. – Today, B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner, Kasari Govender, released a position statement on the human rights impacts of the toxic drug crisis, emphasizing the need to place evidence-based recommendations above stigma when navigating this public health emergency.

Titled A Human Rights Approach to the Toxic Drug Crisis, the position statement makes the case that government’s failure to address the crisis with evidence-based actions—and its focus on criminal justice responses and involuntary care—is due largely to stigma.

“Treating people who use drugs as if their health issues are moral failings is a violation of their human rights,” said Commissioner Govender. “Any other health problem with such a significant fatality rate would be treated with the utmost urgency, as we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic.”