Overdoses: the other epidemic is the title of an episode of Découvertes, the science show on ICI Télé, where we see that the opioid crisis has greatly accelerated “in the blind spot of the pandemic” of COVID-19. We give the floor to Jean-François Mary, general director of CACTUS Montreal, a supervised injection center. “Before the pandemic, we generally had one overdose per week or every two weeks. But since July (2020), we have had periods with more than one overdose per day,” said the latter. Several doctors and scientists interviewed detail the devastating impact of the pandemic on the proliferation of synthetic drugs. The reporting team also went to British Columbia where the devastation is immense and where attempts are being made to counter the consumption of fentanyl with pharmaceutical heroin. An initiative that encountered several obstacles. “I tried to offer Quebec, Canadian and American suggestions,” says Mr. Fallu of the suggested links. In the case of Découvertes, we go to meet people working in the field. »
The English-language site for International Overdose Awareness Day offers a version in several languages, including French, of this annual event held on August 31. “This international day is celebrated worldwide, to different degrees,” says Mr. Fallu. This includes several Canadian and Quebec cities. But it doesn’t always get the attention it needs. » The site is varied, with an invitation to get involved, information on overdoses and the means of prevention available. We will also find testimonies which are moving to read. Note that the color adopted is purple (some media write purple or mauve) and that every year, buildings and large structures are lit in this color in memory of the victims. Last year, the tower of the Olympic Stadium, the Ferris Wheel of Old Montreal, the Samuel De Champlain Bridge and the Gamelin Gardens were adorned with them.
Mr. Fallu speaks with great interest about the Crackdown podcast series hosted and produced by Garth Mullins which can easily be found on the web. Defining himself as an activist for many years, Garth Mullins was also an opioid user. “When it comes to issues related to opioids, British Columbia is much more at the forefront,” recalls Mr. Fallu. Crackdown is really interesting because it is funded by a university research center with the aim of transferring knowledge. This is an online radio show that addresses many topics related to drugs and the crisis, from many angles. It involves former addicts, people who use services, activists, scientists, etc. » The most recent episode (#44) aired at the time of writing this article was dedicated to Danny, a queer person in his twenties who traveled across the country, feeling abandoned by everyone, and who turned into prostitution to buy drugs. Radio truth that is both disturbing and catchy.
Warning, shocking content! Vice News doesn’t do metaphors. The numerous physical ravages that synthetic drugs wreak are exposed without censorship from the first moments of this forty-minute report by Manisha Krishnan and first broadcast two years ago. “She is THE drug reporter for Vice News,” says Jean-Sébastien Fallu. In her report, she talks more about the evolution of the crisis and what awaits us. And Vice makes a point of providing nuanced and very informed coverage of its subjects. » Ms. Krishnan devotes part of her article to Keisha, a seller of fentanyl on the streets of Vancouver. The latter denies cutting the substance with other synthetic products, including benzodiazepines. We then leave the sordid alleys of the British Columbian metropolis for a cozy hall in Washington where the journalist cooks, no pun intended, a former national director of the fight against drugs. The latter is pleased to have seen China stop the export of fentanyl under American pressure, but does not feel responsible for the devastation attributable to replacement products.
