I read about the number of overdoses in the Whalley area of Surrey.
I am a recovering addict and I know only too well how dangerous it is doing drugs by yourself. You tend to hide and do them in private.
Now with all the stuff that is mixed in with drugs, it is even more dangerous. I cleaned up 11 years ago, but I used to be one of the many homeless and addicted wandering the streets of Surrey. I used to hide in fields, old abandoned houses and buildings to inject my drugs.
I think there should be a safe injection site in Surrey like the one in Vancouver. Sure they will talk about it, but it should be done right away. They will talk about costs and location, but in the meantime, how do you put a price on a human life?
It should be done ASAP. What usually happens is someone has to die or many have to die and the health administration says “if only we had something sooner.”
I have a daughter and granddaughter that are actively using heroin and crack. They live in a house with many people that all do drugs. My daughter tells me that they go through about five or six Narcan kits a month, so that is 10 to 12 people a month overdosing.
Maybe this letter might spark some interest in the people that make decisions, such as opening up a safe injection site right away instead of having a long, drawn-out discussion about where the money is going to come from.
I am sure if it were one of their relatives, they might work real hard to open one up. It always seem to be that when something happens to a person that has some authority in government it becomes big news.
People are people whether rich or poor. I worry every night that I may get a call from the police or hospital telling me that my daughter or granddaughter have been found dead due to an overdose.
Richard Griffin
Surrey