The ravaging fires last year in Fort McMurray devastated a community, affected our economy and united us in our resolve to address the personal toll.
Why would we not treat similarly the presence of opioids in our communities and their profound socio-economic impact? Why are we not resolute in addressing this personal toll with such clear economic consequences?
It is not enough to frame health crises in terms of social impact. While it can seem crass to attach economic value to life, lost lives cost us dearly beyond the personal grief. A corollary of our commitment to health care is an investment in our productivity.
In the case of British Columbia, we lost 622 people to illicit drug overdoses between January and October, a 45% year-to-year increase, and many of these deaths are attributable to the availability and potency of opioids, particularly fentanyl. We do not have reliable national data, but we can surmise hundreds if not thousands more have died this year.
Why would we not apprehend this as deserving of a national public health emergency? Why would we not summon the financial resources to combat the daily horrors we are experiencing in our communities? Why would we not use this epidemic as an opportunity to understand the support systems of health and education and rebuild where they are obviously frail?
In stark business language: Why would we not see the short- to long-term benefits that would accrue?
We did so, rightly, when natural calamity victimized a community in Alberta, just as we do when earthquakes and storms impose their brute forces.
What does it say about our moral compass –about our judgmental qualities – when we are not prepared to offer the same logistics to the humane objective of saving lives? Are we saying these victims are not as deserving and economically valuable? Why are we not prepared to consider this a different sort of natural disaster?
Let’s hope that last week’s disappointing federal decision – to not declare an all-out national attack on the opioid crisis – is reversed soon.
