No matter how often a mantra of rationalization is repeated, or how many use that mantra of rationalization, rationalization does not change the facts or the Reality defined by those facts.

“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence”.  John Adams

The facts and evidence are indisputably clear: British Columbians do not continue to die at a rate of six a day as a result of an 8 year ‘health crisis.

Crisis: a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events,  especially for better or for worse, is determined.  [dictionary.com]

Yes, a health crisis occurred when the toxicity of the illicit drug supply reached a level where the drugs were poisonous and people were dying as a consequence of that toxicity.

However, even if one refuses to recognize that by definition a crisis does not last eight years, once the coroner examined the bodies, determined the cause of death and reported to government, politicians and the public the cause and course of action required to stop British Columbians dying from the poisonous toxicity of the illicit drug supply it ceased to be a health crisis and became a crisis of character and ethics.

The government, politicians and the public chose not to take the action set out by the coroner and in doing so chose to allow people to continue to die from the poisonous toxicity of the illicit drug supply in BC.

Thus BC citizens have been dying for the past eight years, not from a non-existent health crisis but because the government has not acted to implement the determinations of the BC coroner service.

No amount of denial or rationalization will change the fact that people are dying as a result of the choice by the public, politicians and government not take the actions necessary to stop the dying.

“The reality is that these deaths are preventable. Toxicology data confirms that the drug supply in British Columbia is increasingly volatile and life-threatening.”  Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe

Although I suppose that one could argue that it is a crisis of vincible ignorance, ignorance arising from the choice not to know.

Thus the public, politicians and government do not want to take the actions required and/or do not take the actions required because what the public, politicians and government ‘know for sure’ about addiction and substance use/abuse is wrong and this ignorance exists because they choose not to know.

Choosing to remain ignorant allows the public, politicians and government to cling to what they ‘know for sure’ about addiction and substance abuse [no matter how incorrect]  by avoiding the need for the facts and analysis of critical thinking, changing their minds and actions.

In the end, because remaining ignorant is a choice, vincible ignorance is also a matter of character and ethics.

The public, politicians and government are responsible for the consequences of their chosen ignorance and therefore are responsible for the deaths that have resulted from drug toxicity since the point in time the BC coroner’s report set out cause of death and how to prevent more deaths.

Culpability exacerbated every month as the public, politicians and government ignore the monthly BC Coroner’s report on the deaths and how to stop the deaths; choosing to cling to their mantra of justification and denying responsibility for the deaths caused by choosing to do nothing to stop people dying.

There are lots of pious words, but any actions taken do nothing to stop people dying.

The facts evidence that the public, politicians and government judge the lives of those dying from using illicit drugs – of addiction – as not worth the discomfort and effort required to stop the dying.

A Reality, however ugly it may be, that no amount of rationalization, denial of responsibility or self absolution will change.

It is time to cry BULLSH*T and witness the responsibility of the public, politicians and government for the continuing deaths from the toxic deadliness of BC’s illicit drug supply because of the choice by the public, politicians and government to do nothing and allow the deaths to continue.

To say you have no choice is to release yourself from responsibility and that’s not how a person with integrity acts.

Patrick Ness

Whatever you do, it’s a decision and you have to accept responsibility for it. That’s when honour becomes more than empty words.”

Lynn Flewelling