British Columbia香蕉视频直播檚 new health minister says she香蕉视频直播檚 aiming for more treatment beds and fewer deaths in a revamped approach to the province香蕉视频直播檚 drug overdose crisis.

It comes after David Eby香蕉视频直播檚 newly elected government eliminated the stand-alone Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, which advocates say had no 香蕉视频直播渢eeth.香蕉视频直播�

The former ministry was created in 2017 to provide co-ordinated responses to the toxic drug crisis, which has killed more than 15,000 people in the past eight years, but it has now been absorbed into the Health Ministry.

香蕉视频直播淐ertainly, I really do think the time is right to fold the ministry back into the Ministry of Health,香蕉视频直播� said Josie Osborne, who was appointed health minister last week, replacing former minister Adrian Dix.

香蕉视频直播淚 think we香蕉视频直播檙e in a much better position to expedite action and decision making,香蕉视频直播� Osborne said in an interview. 香蕉视频直播淣ow is the time to bring that together. The premier香蕉视频直播檚 been very clear he expects an all-of-government approach to this.香蕉视频直播�

The B.C. Coroners Service says 1,749 people have died of toxic drug overdoses so far this year. Last year the service reported 2,551 overdose deaths, the most ever recorded in a single year in the province.

香蕉视频直播淲e are going to do everything possible that we can to reduce the number of deaths and the impacts on people and families,香蕉视频直播� Osborne said. 香蕉视频直播淭his is one of the toughest challenges our government, our society, that B.C. faces and one of our government香蕉视频直播檚 top priorities. The key here is helping people and doing everything we can from all different approaches to reduce the number of deaths and to help people recover and be well.香蕉视频直播�

B.C. drug policy advocates who are calling on the government to support more safe supply and drug decriminalization policy initiatives say they will watch for signs that the changes, and Osborne香蕉视频直播檚 appointment, result in shifts in direction and approaches.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 good because the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions wasn香蕉视频直播檛 ever really set up to succeed,香蕉视频直播� said DJ Larkin, executive director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition and an adjunct professor at the faculty of health sciences at Simon Fraser University.

香蕉视频直播淚t didn香蕉视频直播檛 have the budget or the authority to do what needed to happen and it set expectations they couldn香蕉视频直播檛 meet,香蕉视频直播� Larkin said. 香蕉视频直播淚t didn香蕉视频直播檛 have the teeth. That sets up people for disappointment because they gather the data. They get the expert input. They get the ideas but they didn香蕉视频直播檛 have the teeth to make it happen.香蕉视频直播�

Leslie McBain, co-founder of Moms Stop the Harm, a harm-reduction advocacy group, said she香蕉视频直播檚 looking forward to the ministry change because 香蕉视频直播渨e have not got very far in terms of the toxic drug crisis.香蕉视频直播�

She said she believed the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions was 香蕉视频直播渁 little bit hooped,香蕉视频直播� because it fell under the health ministry but had little power.

香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 optimistic now, of course,香蕉视频直播� said McBain. 香蕉视频直播淚 think change is better than being stuck in a place where there hasn香蕉视频直播檛 been great movement. These seven or eight years we香蕉视频直播檝e been waiting for things to improve and they have not. So, with a change, there香蕉视频直播檚 hope.香蕉视频直播�

But Larkin and McBain, whose son Jordan died of an overdose more than a decade ago, say they will continue to push Osborne and the NDP government to support efforts to back decriminalization and safe supply efforts.

The government flatly rejected calls from the province香蕉视频直播檚 chief coroner Lisa Lapointe earlier this year to provide non-prescription access to controlled drugs.

It also rolled back a decriminalization pilot project after political and public outcry over open drug use.

香蕉视频直播淒ecriminalization has been basically gutted by the premier,香蕉视频直播� McBain said. 香蕉视频直播淚t needs to be strengthened rather than gutted for people to be able to use drugs safely.香蕉视频直播�

Larkin said advocates intend to push Osborne and the government to continue to initiate policy reform towards more decriminalization of drugs.

香蕉视频直播淭here are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people every year who use unregulated drugs. That is the source of this problem. If we want to save heath care dollars, policing dollars and reinvest in communities we need to deal with the unregulated drug supply, and that means changing the law,香蕉视频直播� Larkin said.

Osborne acknowledged the issues of decriminalization, safe supply and involuntary care, but said as a new minister she is looking to address the overdose crisis by reaching out to agencies, communities and people.

香蕉视频直播淩ight now what香蕉视频直播檚 ahead of me is learning about and listening to people, communities and all the agencies and organizations to understand the real on-the-ground impacts of different approaches to this,香蕉视频直播� she said.