WEEK TALKS TRUTH ON DRUG USE

Several groups are coming together to organize an event-filled week in
hopes of addressing the stigma faced by drug users in Greater Victoria.

Anti-Stigma Week (ASW) investigates the harmful effects of stigma
which, according to event organizers, "occurs when someone has a
certain status that makes them less acceptable in other people's eyes.
It is the result of negative attitudes and behaviours towards certain
people due to an attribute they possess or be associated with. When
stigma obscures the rest of someone's identity, as it often does in
the case of people who use drugs, it has a devastating affect. Stigma
seriously impacts the well-being of people who use drugs by shaming
them and making them feel unwanted. It deters people from seeking out
supports, prevents access to housing and health care, and excludes
them from participating in our community."

"Our hope is that this week will start the conversation of stigma and
drug use in Victoria," said Philippe Lucas, one of the ASW organizers.
"Public engagement is crucial for full acknowledgment of rights and
dignity."

This year's inaugral ASW centers around the themes of compassion,
respect, equality and dignity. The hope is that next year organizers
will take on new and different themes.

Organizers of the events argue that stigmatizing attitudes towards
people who use drugs have played a key role in the loss of the
Cormorant Street fixed-site needle exchange, in the efforts to remove
people from Pandora Green, in the restrictions placed on mobile needle
exchange services and in the barriers faced in finding new locations
for harm reduction services where they are most needed.

"People who use illicit drugs face a disproportionate amount of stigma
and discrimination which stands as a barrier to accessing basic needs
such as healthcare and housing," said event organizer Heather Hobbs.
"We want people in our community to consider how their attitudes and
actions impact the people that they see on the streets."

ASW is being put on by the Beddow Center, the Committee to End
Homelessness, Harm Reduction Victoria, PEERS, Society of Living
Intravenous Drug Users, the UVic club Harm Less, Vancouver Island
Public Interest Research Group, Victoria Coalition Against Poverty,
Faith in Action, Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia
and Our Place.

ASW kicks off on Feb. 7 with a member of Law Enforcement Against
Prohibition (LEAP) introducing the screening of The Damage Done: A
Drug War Odyssey at 6:30 p.m. at the Eric Martin Pavilion. The
following day ASW will touch down on campus where the UVic Students'
Society (UVSS) Harm Less Club will present the Drug War Shorts Movie
Festival and Dialogue, followed by a panel called "Stigma and Drug
Use" with Dr. Cecilia Benoit, Dr. Susan Boyd, Lynn Belle-Isle and Lucas.

All events are free or by donation. To get involved or learn more,
check out harmreductionvictoria.ca or email victoria.harmreduction@gmail.com