In 1999, a handful of methadone clients got together after realizing that there was a need for some sort of group to provide support and information for people on methadone. With the help of VANDU, a group started that would help methadone users, by providing the means and location to get together in order to support each other. The members could meet regularly and exchange information on all aspects of life as a methadone user, whether it be by exchanging personnel stories or by providing & researching information on users rights, medical and/or legal issues.

If you are now using methadone or considering it as an alternative to heroin, live in Vancouver, and would like more information on methadone use or just want to talk to others who know what you're going through, then come & check us out at one of our meetings every Wednesday afternoon at 1pm at 380 East Hastings St., Vancouver (VANDU office).

Please read our constitution which can give you a better understanding of our goals.

CONSTITUTION - BRITISH COLUMBIA ASSOCIATION OF PEOPLE ON METHADONE

The purpose of this society are:

• (a)   To improve the lives of people on Methadone
• (b)   To promote affordable treatment. No patient shall be denied Methadone because of inability to pay
• (c)   To promote accessibility. No patient shall be denied because of geographic location or restricted opening of clinics
• (d)   To promote that Methadone therapy is for treatment of opiate dependency and no patient shall be discharged for other illicit drug use
• (e)   To promote that Methadone therapy is individual in nature and that no patient has arbitrary dosing. That all dosing shall be tailored to the individual with no cap on dosing
• (f)   To promote that Methadone patients have done nothing wrong and therefore shall not be punished or have punitive actions against them within the treatment setting
• (g)   To promote that Methadone shall not be used as a behavioral tool
• (h)   To promote that in compliance with the college of physicians and surgeons guidelines, clinic policy regarding use of discharge shall be posted for all patients to view
• (i)   To promote that all Methadone patients have at least one Methadone patient on staff
• (j)   To promote that no mandatory counseling be part of treatment but that patients be able to access a counselor of their choice
• (k)   To promote that primary care physicians be able to prescribe Methadone for addictions
• (l)   To promote that self help groups and other like programs shall consider Methadone a legitimate, prescribed medication. Methadone is recovery and shall be considered drug free
• (m)   To promote that Methadone prescribing for addictions shall be removed from the dangerous drugs and be assigned to Health Canada
• (n)   To promote that incarcerated narcotic addicts and Methadone patients shall be given Methadone for withdrawal and or maintenance in a compassionate and medically appropriate manner while incarcerated
• (o)   To promote that probation and parole authorities shall consider Methadone a legitimate medical treatment and no Methadone patient shall be considered in violation of probation or parole based on their participation on Methadone treatment
• (p)   To promote that Methadone is for opiate dependency and patients are entitled to other medications for pain relief

BC-A-POM can clarify myths and misinformation on methadone such as:

1. What is methadone?
Answer: Methadone is a synthetic opiate that is legal and long lasting. It is used in the treatment of heroin dependant people to help them stabilize their lives.

2. Is methadone more addictive than heroin?
Answer: Although withdrawing from methadone takes longer than heroin, methadone is not more addictive. Gradual withdrawal from methadone is virtually free of discomfort.

3. Does methadone rot your teeth & get into your bones?
Answer: Many heroin addicts do not take care of their teeth but find, when stabilized on methadone, they become aware of these things. The 'sore bones' is usually due to prolonged 'cold turkey'. Also one of the side effects of methadone, like many other medications, is that you may experience 'dry mouth'', this can make your teeth more prone to the production of plaque, which is a major cause of gum disease & tooth decay. Regular brushing & flossing can remedy this. As for 'sore bones' or 'bone rot' this is usually a symptom of too low a dose. 'Bone ache' which in turn feels like 'rot' is methadone withdrawal can be corrected by an adjustment of your daily methadone dose.

4. Is methadone dangerous?
Answer: Methadone when prescribed at a proper dose and monitored by a qualified doctor is very safe, however it can be very dangerous if used inappropriately. Do not give or take methadone if it is not prescribed to you, this can lead to overdose and even death.

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VANDU Board of Directors
As a membership-driven organization, VANDU's elected Board of Directors meets weekly to discuss matters relevant to the organization and the community. Board meetings are limited in participation to Board members only, but general membership and members of the community at large may attend and observe.

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VANDU Board Development Meetings

Details regarding VANDU's Board Development Meetings will be updated periodically.

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Volunteer Meetings
At VANDU, we provide volunteer work opportunities in the form of coffee shifts at the VANDU office, needle exchange shifts at the Health Contact Centre, and special projects. Shifts are assigned weekly on Fridays.

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Western Aboriginal Harm Reduction Society (WAHRS)


WAHRS is a group that first started in 2002 as a subgroup of VANDU. The idea was first thought up by the current WAHRS president, Chris Livingstone, who recognized the need for an all-aboriginal group run by and decisions made by aboriginal people.

Statistics have shown that in the downtown eastside area that the epidemics (HepC, HIV/AIDS) have hit the native population harder than any other ethnic group. Alcoholism is another major problem amongst the aboriginals as well, not only with hard liquor and beer but with rubbing alcohol, mouthwash and Lysol to name a few, and this is causing a lot more health problems as well as mental health related difficulties.

WAHRS has recognized another problem in this area and that is a need for warm and proper footwear. Shoes and boots can be expensive for persons on limited incomes to purchase; or to have people donate. Socks are inexpensive and not so hard to donate, so this prompted the board of directors of WAHRS to agree on canvassing several companies and organizations for funding or donations of socks to give to the people as they are in need, especially in the winter months (the rainy season in Vancouver). Wet feet can lead to a number of foot problems that could later get much, much worse.

Another of WAHRS initiatives is an alcohol maintenance program. Because of the deadly effects that rubbing alcohol and mouthwash have on a person's system, WAHRS has said that it needed to help the persons drinking this poison by not letting them go 'cold turkey' but by weaning them off by substituting beer. Once they are on this maintenance program, the next step would be a detox or a treatment centre. These initiatives are what this community needs to better the lives of people here, the sicker the people are the more taxing it gets on the entire health system, and it's dollars which is actually is the average Joe's tax dollars.

Although WAHRS is a group of aboriginals trying to help themselves and the people of their community, progress is slow as funding and donations are in short supply.

For more information on WAHRS, please feel free to contact us at (604) 683-8595 or one of our spokespeople at livingstonechris@yahoo.com

WAHRS CONSTITUTION

1. The name of the society is: Western Aboriginal Harm Reduction Society
2. The purposes of the society are:

• (a) To celebrate our inherent strengths as indigenous peoples that has allowed us to resist extinction
• (b) To recover a holistic traditional philosophy, to reconnect with our spirituality and culture, and to infuse our politics and our relationships with traditional values
• (c) To create sound communities, individual empowerment and the re-establishment of relationships based on traditional Native values
• (d) To improve the quality of life for people who are Aboriginal who use illicit drugs by encouraging the development of support, education and training programs that reflect values of Aboriginal people
• (e) To develop networks and coalitions of informed and empowered people who work to improve the health of Aboriginal people who use illicit drugs and illicit alcohol
• (f) To ensure that a voice for people who are Aboriginal who use illicit drugs is empowered, strengthened and heard by policy makers, service providers and the public concerning societal, economic, health and treatment issues related to the use of illicit drugs and illicit alcohol
• (g) To purchase, sell and/or lease property, equipment and materials that are deemed necessary to accomplish the society’s purposes.

You can download a copy of the Bylaws of the Western Aboriginal Harm Reduction Society here

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VANDU Women's Group


VANDU women's group is a support, harm reduction, and social change group for women who use drugs.

The mission statement is:

We are a group of women who are current or former users of illicit drugs.
We are here to enrich, empower, embrace and care for our women and our community.
We are fighting against poverty, abuse and discrimination for all women
We do this through user-based peer support, education and affirming the right to belong.

Women are between 20 and 70 with most 35-55 years old. Nearly all smoke crack and about half inject heroin. Women also inject cocaine, use crystal meth and take "licit" drugs illicitly (valium, Tylenol 3s, Rivotril…) Very few of the women who attend the meeting are former drug users. 10-25% are homeless of the women who have housing most live in Single Room Occupancy Hotels. Most have serious health issues, chronic pain, or disabilities, many are very sick and have multiple health issues. The majority of women in the group are currently or have in the past been involved in survival sex (exchanging sex for shelter, drugs, protection, money without the option of saying "no" to dangerous situations) or sex work. Between one third and half of the women are Aboriginal. Most women have more than one child, few have custody or contact with their children.

Topics discussed include: harm reduction; safety; police and community issues; housing; relationships; networking and community events; and services available to women. Occasionally there are guest speakers from organizations such as PEERS (a sex worker organization), PIVOT legal society, Carnegie Community Action project on housing, as well as health researchers.

Between Your World and My World:
Women Drug Users and Academic Researchers Partner for Community-based Health Research in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
Authors: Laurel Dykstra, Amy Salmon, Ann Pederson, Kristy Hoyak, Ann Livingston, Jackie Robinson, Flo Hodgson, and Annette Browne

The Neighbourhood: The VANDU Women CARE project takes place during an era in Canadian history characterized as "a bad time to be poor" (Klein and Long, 2003). The expanded definition of "spouse," the narrowing definition of "work," the emphasis on welfare fraud detection, surveillance, and reporting, welfare rates that do not reflect inflation, skyrocketing housing costs, and an epidemic of homelessness have eroded the concept of “the deserving poor” almost entirely, resulting in a situation where women are impoverished, criminalized, and then blamed for it (Chunn and Gavigan, 2006). Neoliberal policies, the dismantling of the welfare state, the devastating consequences of an ongoing "War on Drugs," and the rise of the prison industries globally, affect women disproportionately and poor women who use drugs all the more (Snider, 2006; Boyd 2004). In this context it is a particularly bad time to be a low-income woman who uses drugs in the DTES, “Canada’s poorest postal code.”

With a notorius reputation as "destination for the nation's poor" and "the epicentre of the city's open-air drug market", Vancouver's DTES is a neighbourhood where the incomes, living standards, and education levels are lowest, and health service utilization rates, including hospitalization, are the highest (c.f. Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, 2005). Female injection drug users in this community have mortality rates almost 50 times higher than women in the rest of the province of British Columbia (Spitall, 2006). In a context of poverty, homelessness, and marginalization women are more likely than men to engage in "survival sex," - that is, exchanging sex for food, shelter and/or drugs (McKeown, Reid, Turner, and Orr, 2002) (Nyamathi, Leake, and Gelberg, 2000). In turn, infectious disease, sexually transmitted infections, and other health vulnerabilities result (McKeown et al., 2002; Novac, 1996). Furthermore street-level sex workers experience rates of violence many times those of any other group of women in Canada, violence that ranges from the refusal to wear a condom to torture and murder (Cler-Cunningham and Christensen, 2001). Women in street-level sex trade are murdered at a rate of 60 to 120 times the rate of the general female population. (Lowman and Fraser, 1996).

Despite the identification of safe secure housing as a social determinant of health, Canada has no national housing strategy. The effects of this are very evident in the DTES. In walking the three blocks from the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre to the VANDU office in the middle of any day you can easily pass by ten to twenty individuals sleeping in doorways, down alleys, and under plastic sheets, cardboard boxes and dirty blankets. Thirteen percent of VANDU members are homeless (Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users 2006.). Of those who live in the DTES, nearly half live in Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Hotels, residential hotels where furnished rooms of 150-200 square feet with a shared bathroom down the hall are rented at a monthly rate. Eighty-five percent of DTES SROs charge more than the shelter portion of a welfare cheque (Vancouver Agreement, 2007) and a recent study reported that 80% of SROs in the DTES had bedbugs and rodents, and 77% had cockroaches (Vancouver Agreement, 2007).

The disproportionate representation of Aboriginal women among Canada's most disenfranchised is also evident in the DTES. Although only about 7% of Vancouver’s population is Aboriginal, Aboriginal people represent approximately 40% of the population in the DTES (Joseph, 1999). In fact, approximately 70% of Vancouver’s Aboriginal population lives in this community. Aboriginal women are also over-represented among survival sex trade workers in the DTES, an indication of the highly gendered and systemic poverty, racism, and marginalization which Aboriginal women encounter across Canada (Anderson et al., 2001 ; Hull, 2001). Seventy percent of sex trade workers in the DTES are Aboriginal women (Burgelhaus and Stokl 2005). Aboriginal women are also the fastest growing group of HIV positive people in the DTES and are three times more likely to die of HIV/AIDS than other Vancouver women (Joseph, 1999). For Aboriginal women, the survival sex trade occurs in a context of colonization (Farley, Lynne, and Cotton, 2005; Lynne, 1998; Scully, 2001). The combined effects of poverty, race discrimination and cultural losses profoundly affect Aboriginal peoples and are significant contributing factors to inequities in health status among Aboriginal women in the DTES.

Harm Reduction for Women: Vancouver is recognized internationally for its policies and programs supporting harm reduction. To date, harm reduction services for illicit drug users in the DTES have concentrated on the prevention of harms directly attributable to substance use- and most particularly injection drug use- such as overdose, transmission of HIV and hepatitis C, abcesses, and vein injuries. In the DTES, the majority of injection drug users are male (Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), 2006) and the harm reduction movenent has operated on an assumption that holds true for many men: most harms come from drug use and a social context in which people who use drugs are marginalized and criminalized. However, women who use illicit drugs are vulnerable to many health problems which have not been adequately addressed in harm reduction research and programs to date. These include violence-related injuries and chronic pain, mental illnesses, malnutrition, infectious disease, sexually transmitted infections, and health problems attributed to inadequate housing or homelessness (Crowell and Burgess, 1996; Farley et al., 2005; Friedman and Yehuda, 1995; Golding, 1994; Novac, 1996).

Members of the VANDU Women's Group report that crack use is more common among women in the DTES because crack is less expensive than other drugs (such as heroin), and because women who need assistance to inject are able to have more control over their drug use when they can smoke them. However, research into the harms of crack smoking lags far behind that of injection drugs, as do funding, programs and opportunities that follow research. Few harm reduction initiatives in the city have addressed the unique harms associated with crack use such as lung and throat damage and hepatitis C transmitted by sharing mouthpieces, or the harms associated with drug-related survival sex work including unsafe sex, violence, and social isolation (Safer Crack Use Outreach Research and Education (SCORE), 2007).

Women who participated in the VANDU Women CARE project have indicated that the greatest harms in their lives are not harms from drug use, but harms from violence. As a member of our project team notes, most women who use drugs risk assault and theft from "anyone who is bigger and wants their dope". Women who are involved in street level sex trade are physically assaulted, raped, and murdered by johns, by intimate partners and predatory criminals who target them, taking advantage of their vulnerability and society’s lack of regard for them (Cler-Cunningham and Christensen, 2001). Beyond this, women who use illegal drugs in the DTES live daily with the structural violence of poverty, criminalization and racism. These are harms that are not addressed by access to condoms, needles, safe consumption sites, or inhalation education.

***
In the face of these challenges and conditions, the DTES is also a vibrant and complex 'community of communities' with a strong history of women’s leadership. An incredible mosaic of people from all cultures come together through various community projects to promote unity, dignity, multiculturalism, families, and the creative spirit in ways that strive to be respectful and inclusive (Bordier, 2004; dtes.ca, 2007). While the health and social conditions of DTES residents deserve attention from policy-makers, service providers, and activists alike, totalizing and pathologizing representations of this community often ignore the strength and resiliency of the DTES and its residents (Chilvers, 2003).

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VANDU Empowerment Employment Project



VANDU Empowerment is a social enterprise created by the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), a group of users and former users who work to improve the lives of people who use illicit drugs through user-based peer support and education.

VANDU Empowerment's purpose is to do the work that other companies lack the expertise to do and, if left undone would add to the misery and hardship of marginalized people.

VANDU Empowerment services range from preparing rooms for pest control to consulting services.

VANDU Empowerment seeks the consultation and expertise of VANDU members when creating new projects and services.

VANDU Empowerment employs VANDU members to perform many of their services.

VANDU Empowerment donates 75% of its pre-tax profits to VANDU to help VANDU carry out its mission.

Visit the Empowerment website or contact annlive @ telus.net

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BC / Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors



With a membership comprised of user groups and drug users activists, the Association was formed at the Pacific Summit on Drug User Health, held in Vancouver in June 2009. The Summit brought together over 100 active drug users from British Columbia and the Yukon, as well as non-user volunteers and professionals with the goal of the meeting was to unite the sentiments of former and current users. The Association is the realization of that goal.

The Association is to be separated into the same regions that exist already under the B.C. Health Care system: Fraser Health, Vancouver Coastal Health, Interior Health, Northern Health, and Vancouver Island Health Authority, as well as members from the Yukon as a whole.

The Purposes of the Association are:

1. To celebrate the strengths we have as people who use drugs that allows us to survive and resist the war on drugs
2. To realize, deepen and share the love, comaraderie, and wisdom found in drug user support groups
3. To impower people who currently use drugs deemed illegal to survive and to thrive, with their human rights respected and their voices heard
4. To improve the quality of life for people who use illicit drugs by developing and implementing educational programs and training events that ensure learning opportunities about safer drug use and harm reduction
5. To establish an inclusive social justice network for people who use drugs that encourages, supports and welcomes drug users from across British Columbia and connects them with drug user networks accress British Columbia, across Canada, and across the world
6. To develop networks and coalitions of informed and empowered people, both users and nonusers, which work to improve the health and social conditions of people who use illicit drugs
7. To promote a better public understanding of the problems and dilemmas facing people who use illegal drugs and thus encourage the development of saner drug policies and laws at local, regional and national levels
8. To ensure that the voices of people who use illicit drugs are strengthened and empowered so that their concerns about social, medical and economic issues can be heard by policy makers, service providers, and the public at large

Six Points of Unity of the Association:

1. We are a group of survivors of the drug war
2. We strive for social justice and advocate for human rights for people who use drugs.
3. We work to eliminate the discrimination, criminalization, stigmatization and isolation of people who use drugs in all areas of social, economic and political life.
4. We are against the prohibition of drugs, and for the regulation of currently illegal drugs
5. "Our Lives, Our Voice, Our Way" - people who use drugs must have real representation and power within those institutions that have a significant impact on our lives.
6. We recognize that various groups are differently affected by the harms associated with the use of drugs, and they may need to organize autonomously as well as part of the larger group. We support the self-directed empowerment of drug war survivors and are committed to the diversity and autonomy of our members.

As of August 2009 the BC / Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors is engaged in the process of developing its web site

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Pedestrian Safety Project

The Downtown Eastside Pedestrian Safety Project is a pilot program being run by the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) to address the high number of pedestrian injuries along Hastings Street in the Downtown Eastside. The three main components of the project are data collection, education, and community outreach. Running until March 2010, the goals of the project are to increase awareness about the issue of pedestrian safety in the Downtown Eastside and what people can do to improve the situation; to increase our knowledge of the issue; and to engage Downtown Eastside residents in finding long-term solutions.

Data Collection
Volunteers from the community will be out on the street observing and recording driver and pedestrian volumes and behaviours and noting the design of the streets and sidewalks. Pedestrians will also be asked to fill out a survey. Similar information will be collected towards the end of the project for evaluation purposes.

Education
Volunteers will be out on the street and at different locations in the Downtown Eastside. We want to educate people who walk and drive in our neighbourhood about the high number of people getting hit by cars and what they can do to make it safer. We'll be talking to people, handing out information, carrying signs, and other things to get our message out.

Community Outreach
We want to hear stories and concerns aout pedestrian safety from the people who live in the Downtown Eastside, as well as their opinions about how to make their community safer. We believe residents know their neighbourhood better than anyone, and will be holding workshops and focus groups to find out what they think. If you see a notice for one of our workshops, come tell us what you think and have your voice heard.

Visit the Pedestrian Safety Project's website

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