VICTORIA, B.C.: After nearly a decade of failed drug policy experiments, the BC NDP government must finally answer for the devastating human cost of its decisions and provide a clear path forward.

British Columbia has endured years of worsening addiction, rising deaths, and deepening community harm under policies the government once championed, including so-called “safe supply” and decriminalization, which have been quietly rolled back or publicly acknowledged as failures. But for families across this province, the damage has already been done.

Now, even the government’s own trusted expert is sounding the alarm. Dr. Daniel Vigo, the government’s Chief Scientific Officer, long relied upon by this government to justify its approach, has broken sharply from the NDP’s narrative, warning that “safe” supply is causing harm and requires significant changes. This is a stunning reversal.

For years, the NDP dismissed critics, ignored frontline workers, and attacked anyone who questioned their approach. Now, their own hand-picked expert is confirming what British Columbians have been living through: these policies are not working, and in many cases, are making things worse.

At the same time, serious questions remain about the government’s handling of evidence. Testimony has revealed that leading addiction researcher Dr. Julian Somers was directed by government officials to destroy decades of research, research that challenged the very policies the NDP was rushing to implement.

As documented, a directive explicitly stated that “all data must be destroyed and all media storage devices that housed Ministry data must be sanitized.”

This raises a fundamental question: why was critical evidence discarded at the very moment government was launching a province-wide social experiment?

Claire Rattée, MLA for Skeena and Official Opposition Critic for Mental Health, Addictions, and Housing Supports issued the following statement:

“For nearly a decade, this government pushed radical drug policies while dismissing concerns from families, communities, and frontline workers.

“Now, after years of devastation, even their own expert is admitting the truth: these policies are causing harm.

“British Columbians were told ‘safe supply’ would save lives. They were told decriminalization would reduce harm. Instead, we have seen more death, more addiction, and more communities pushed to the breaking point.

“And then we learn that research challenging this approach may have been destroyed before these policies were even implemented.

“That is not just a failure of policy, that is a failure of responsibility.

“The government cannot quietly walk this back and hope people forget.

“They need to admit they got this wrong. They need to be honest about the consequences. And they need to explain why evidence was ignored, or worse, eliminated, while British Columbians were put at risk. Above all, we need to hear solutions from this government. In light of the government walking back their failed drug policies, we need a clear path forward that will help fill the vulnerable vacuum they have created.

“Every life lost matters. Every person deteriorating under these policies matters.

“It is never too late to do the right thing, but that starts with accountability and finally hearing real solutions to help ensure no more British Columbians suffer under this government’s watch.

“After a decade of worsening outcomes, British Columbians deserve answers, and a government willing to take responsibility.”

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Media Contact:
Francesca Guetchev, Press Secretary
Francesca.Guetchev@leg.bc.ca
+1 (672) 922-0948