The Canadian province of British Columbia declared a public health emergency as early as 2016 as drug overdose deaths spiked amid the escalating opioid epidemic. But that, along with supervised injection sites, has done little to stop a new rise in overdose fatalities to the highest levels ever recorded in the province: more than 200 people died from overdoses in October—the most ever in a single month—and the cumulative total of 1,782 is the highest in one year. The spike in deaths is evident across Canada and in the U.S., where more than 100,000 died in the 12-month period ending in April, mostly due to the synthetic opioid fentanyl. Officials in British Columbia are now considering decriminalizing drug possession and using the funds saved from policing to “non-coercive, voluntary policies, programs, and services” for drug users, including housing, social services, education, and health services.”
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has removed the Sackler name from seven exhibition spaces amid outrage over the family’s ties to opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma and its role in fueling the opioid crisis. The break between the world’s largest museum and one of the art world’s most generous benefactors came after years of pressure from artists and cultural figures to break with the Sackler family. This may compel other institutions that are wavering over removing the Sackler name—including the National Gallery in London—to do the same. The move is important but largely symbolic, commentators point out, and will not help the families of the victims who became addicted and died or provide them with compensation.
And finally, as the deadline nears for municipalities across New York State to decide whether to opt-out of allowing cannabis businesses, more than 400 towns and villages out of some 1,500 across the state have already said “no.” Under the state’s new marijuana legalization laws, localities have the right to decide whether to permit cannabis dispensaries and on-site consumption lounges, or by taking no actions passively allowing such businesses to operate. With three weeks left to act, relatively few big cities have officially opted out, while more than a quarter of New York’s towns and 31 percent of its villages has chosen to bar cannabis operations. In California, 70 percent of cities ban retail marijuana operations, and in New Jersey, which like New York is implementing legalization, about 70 percent of municipalities entirely opted out, although localities can change course at a later date.