By Spencer Sterritt

‘People shouldn’t be dying:’ rally tries to shed stereotypes and stigma of drug addiction

Apr 16, 2019 | 5:28 PM

NANAIMO — Activists took their message directly to Nanaimo City Hall in an effort to reduce the stigma about drug addiction.

Roughly 30 activists, protesters and supporters, many affiliated with New Leaf Outreach who run an unsanctioned overdose prevention site in the downtown, marched from Maffeo Sutton Park to City Hall on Tuesday, April 16.

Sarah Lovegrove with the organization told NanaimoNewsNOW ending the shame users feel about their addiction is paramount to achieving success in the ongoing overdose crisis.

“The most compassionate thing people can do is remove the stigma from the way they perceive people who use drugs. People who use drugs are not only people who are street entrenched. They’re not only people who are without homes. They are people from all over this city.”

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As a former ER nurse, Lovegrove said she’s reversed overdoses in all areas of the community, from Discontent City to mansions in Nanaimo’s north-end.

By creating a community which doesn’t turn a blind eye to someone suffering from their addictions, Lovegrove said they can prevent people from using drugs in the shadows and overdosing without anyone knowing.

“Stigma creates a shame which creates an environment where people feel the need to use alone. That’s the most dangerous place that people can be.”

The B.C. Coroner’s Service confirmed nearly 90 per cent of fatal overdoses in 2018 occurred indoors.

Thirty-four people passed away due to an overdose in Nanaimo in 2018. It’s a steep decrease from the 55 people who lost their lives in 2017, though medical health officers said at the time the number was far too high and shouldn’t be widely celebrated.

Tuesday’s march through downtown Nanaimo to the front steps of Nanaimo City Hall marked the National Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis, which also occurred in more than 20 cities across Canada.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit