The Richmond City Council voted 7-2 on Tuesday to approve a motionThe motion asks the health authorities to explore the possibility of establishing a place for the supervision of drug consumption in the city's hospitals.
On Monday, a heated up** erupted at Richmond City Hall, with large Chinese crowds surrounding the council and some residents criticising the lack of public consultation. The event continued on TuesdayMany people gathered outside the town hall to chant "No drugs!" No drugs! ”HEED's motion did not immediately approve safe consumption**, but asked the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority to explore the idea. It also requires approval from Health Canada, the federal regulator.
It also called for multi-level consultationsThis includes consultations with police forces and city residents. The parliamentarians acknowledged that the site could take years to build if health authorities deem it necessary. The motion directs staff to "conduct a feasibility analysis to evaluate the potential benefits and challenges of establishing a drug consumption point within the jurisdiction of Richmond General Hospital." ”
As Richmond pushes for safe places to consumeLast year, 26 people died from toxic drug overdoses in the city, with more than 2,500 deaths in the province. For two days, dozens of people signed up to speak at the Richmond City Council, and the vast majority of them opposed the **. The marathon meeting came a week after the initial vote on the HEED motion passed 8-1.
Richmond resident John Lee saidThe councillors rushed to solve an issue that was important to the residents of the city.
"You have hastily created misinformation and misunderstandings," he said on Tuesday, echoing the sentiments of many other speakers. "I hope that parliament will slow down the process a little bit and come up with a holistic solution to this complex social problem. ”
However, some residents statedAs part of a multi-pronged approach to tackling the toxic drug crisis, this may help save lives.
Trevor Tablotney, who lost his brother to a toxic drug in December 2022, spoke out on Tuesday in support of the motion. Trevor Tablotney urged the council to say: "Listen to medical professionals and experts," Trevor Tablotney saidInstead of succumbing to the pressure of a group of people who don't know what it is.
The British Columbia Minister of Health has previously stated,These** are an important tool in trying to limit deaths from toxic drugs. Many residents who were in attendance on Tuesday saidDrug addicts need to be rehabilitated**, not a regulated place of consumption. The Mindful Motion asks City staff to establish a monitoring and evaluation system to track how many users are referred for addiction.
In a previous statement, the city said that neither the proposed ** nor its staff would be able to "distribute drugs to users, but would provide addiction ** and ** services."