John Rustad and the BC Conservatives have vowed to shut down supervised substance use facilities and shift the focus to ensuring those with addictions receive treatment.The party also expressed its desire to reverse the BC NDP's decriminalization of hard drugs and reinstate tough penalties for offenders."David Eby and the NDP have abandoned vulnerable people struggling with addiction, creating a system that enables drug abuse while neglecting real solutions," Rustad said in a press release. "As a result, our communities have become unsafe, and it’s our children and families who are left to suffer with the consequences. This is not just a policy failure — it’s a public safety crisis."He declared that families "deserve to live in safe, drug-free neighborhoods," and promised to "shut down every single drug den injection site to protect them."Rustad accused the NDP of having "abdicated their responsibility to ensure the safety of our children" by "leaving them to grow up in neighborhoods riddled with drug den injection sites and addiction."His sentiments were echoed by Richmond-Bridgeport candidate Teresa Wat, who argued that "instead of helping those struggling with addiction," Eby and the NDP have been "enabling dangerous drug use in our neighborhoods.""The so-called 'safe supply' has turned our streets into scenes of tragedy, and it's our children who are the innocent victims," she lamented. "As a mother and grandmother, I can't stand by while our communities are torn apart."The pair went on to outline the rest of the Conservatives' plan, which includes the recriminalization of hard drugs, shifting the focus from "enabling addiction" to providing treatment and recovery services, and enhancing law enforcement to ensure community safety..Housing, drug policy top issues in first days of BC election campaign.Drug policy has been a central focus of the Conservatives' campaign so far, with Rustad kicking things off in front of the drug-filled homeless encampment at Crab Park in Vancouver.
John Rustad and the BC Conservatives have vowed to shut down supervised substance use facilities and shift the focus to ensuring those with addictions receive treatment.The party also expressed its desire to reverse the BC NDP's decriminalization of hard drugs and reinstate tough penalties for offenders."David Eby and the NDP have abandoned vulnerable people struggling with addiction, creating a system that enables drug abuse while neglecting real solutions," Rustad said in a press release. "As a result, our communities have become unsafe, and it’s our children and families who are left to suffer with the consequences. This is not just a policy failure — it’s a public safety crisis."He declared that families "deserve to live in safe, drug-free neighborhoods," and promised to "shut down every single drug den injection site to protect them."Rustad accused the NDP of having "abdicated their responsibility to ensure the safety of our children" by "leaving them to grow up in neighborhoods riddled with drug den injection sites and addiction."His sentiments were echoed by Richmond-Bridgeport candidate Teresa Wat, who argued that "instead of helping those struggling with addiction," Eby and the NDP have been "enabling dangerous drug use in our neighborhoods.""The so-called 'safe supply' has turned our streets into scenes of tragedy, and it's our children who are the innocent victims," she lamented. "As a mother and grandmother, I can't stand by while our communities are torn apart."The pair went on to outline the rest of the Conservatives' plan, which includes the recriminalization of hard drugs, shifting the focus from "enabling addiction" to providing treatment and recovery services, and enhancing law enforcement to ensure community safety..Housing, drug policy top issues in first days of BC election campaign.Drug policy has been a central focus of the Conservatives' campaign so far, with Rustad kicking things off in front of the drug-filled homeless encampment at Crab Park in Vancouver.
