Kermit Schweidel:

“we considered ourselves to be outlaws and we considered that criminals were people who left behind victims and we didn't leave behind anything but satisfied customers and happy users."

This brought in Colombian drug dealers to the El Paso area because there were so much business

The citizens of El Paso are concerned about their well being and are starting to push action on the local government.

El Paso is fighting the historic amount of hard drugs on the street

The smugglers use a variety of ways to enter the U.S. like El Paso Plaza and I-10, which is a huge drug route that allows the smugglers to travel northern into the U.S.

• Texas, West. “This Assessment Is an Outgrowth of a Partnership between the NDIC and HIDTA Program for Preparation of Annual Assessments Depicting Drug Trafficking Trends and Developments in HIDTA Program Areas. The Report Has Been Vetted with the HIDTA, Is Limited in Scope to HIDTA Jurisdictional Boundaries, and Draws upon a Wide Variety of Sources within Those Boundaries. High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis,” 2007. https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs22/22651/22651p.pdf.

• René Kladzyk. “‘Alarming’ Increase in Drug Seizures at El Paso Ports of Entry in December.” El Paso Matters, December 15, 2021. https://elpasomatters.org/2021/12/15/alarming-increase-in-drug-seizures-at-el-paso-ports-of-entry-in-december/.

• René Kladzyk. “‘Alarming’ Increase in Drug Seizures at El Paso Ports of Entry in December.” El Paso Matters, December 15, 2021. https://elpasomatters.org/2021/12/15/alarming-increase-in-drug-seizures-at-el-paso-ports-of-entry-in-december/.

"Illegal drug use increased, especially cannabis use, as society coalesced around a desire for political and social change that challenged convention."- Canadian Drug Policy Coalition

In 1969, Canadian representatives sought help fro drug use, treatment, and laws from a range of Canadian communities. A year later, pharmaceutical drug use increased higher than street drugs because the government was regulating and trying to criminalize these street drugs. in 1971 Canada’s minster of health, John Munro, committed to legalizing marijuana in Canada. This was a big step for Canada because of their past with marijuana already.

Skipping ahead to 1984, Canadian government lifted he ban on heroin importation in two cities, Montreal and Vancouver. Again in 2011 Vancouver's government decided to try at the heroin treatment and they saw that people who benefitted were cut off from the drug, not provided safer versions.

• From. “From Opium to Opioids: A Look at British Columbia’s Illicit Drug History.” BCCSU, 2022. https://www.bccsu.ca/blog/news/from-opium-to-opioids-a-look-at-british-columbias-illicit-drug-history/. 

• Canadian Drug Policy Coalition. “History of Drug Policy in Canada,” 2021. https://drugpolicy.ca/about/history/. 

Looking at Vancouver in its current state, is depressing and scary. The city has become overrun with fentanyl users and drug addicts. Since 2016 when British Columbia declared an emergency, over 21,000 people overdosed on fentanyl or some other street drug that was laced with fentanyl. This is a result of the southern border being hardened and watched over, due to Trump's policies back in 2016. This led the cartel and other drug smugglers to move their pipelines up the west and east coast of the U.S. According to B.C. Coroners Service, drug overdose surpasses the number of homicides, suicides, accidents, and disease COMBINED. This is impacting the Vancouver communities in ways that we couldn't imagine. The number of youth who overdose to Fentanyl every year ranges between 140-150. Families are being severely affected by this because it increases fear and could cause people to emigrate out of British Columbia. The people of Vancouver are trying to put blame on the government for allowing the situation to reach the level it is at without finding a probable solution. During the mist of the crisis, the B.C. legislation tried to tell people to not go outside, but this just pushed residents away and only added to the crisis. B.C. officials are having trouble addressing these problems, but there are some solutions in place.

• British Columbia. “‘This Is a Fentanyl Crisis’: B.C.’S Chief Coroner on Data Linking 142 Young Deaths to Toxic Drugs,” June 19, 2023. https://bc.ctvnews.ca/this-is-a-fentanyl-crisis-b-c-s-chief-coroner-on-data-linking-142-young-deaths-to-toxic-drugs-1.6447387.

• Greer, Darryl. “8 Years since B.C. Declared Public Health Emergency, Toxic Drug Crisis Rages On.” CBC, April 14, 2024. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/eight-years-bc-toxic-drug-crisis-1.7173592. 

• 
  

British Columbia. “‘This Is a Fentanyl Crisis’: B.C.’S Chief Coroner on Data Linking 142 Young Deaths to Toxic Drugs,” June 19, 2023. https://bc.ctvnews.ca/this-is-a-fentanyl-crisis-b-c-s-chief-coroner-on-data-linking-142-young-deaths-to-toxic-drugs-1.6447387. 

• Seeking to decriminalize simple possession of illicit drugs in Vancouver

• Approving the Four Pillars Drug Strategy

• Hosting North America’s first legal safe injection site and needle exchange

• Mayor’s Task Force on Mental Health and Addiction

• Mayor’s Overdose Emergency Task Force

These are just some of the ways that the government is helping out addicts within the area. These strategies aim to create a safe heaven for people who may feel oppressed by the law and can't control themselves, due to the addiction. Two strategies stood out to me specifically: The safe injection center and the Four Pillars Drug strategy. The injection site is being developed so that people who might not feel the ability to quit, are able to acquire a safe amount of fentanyl or whatever drug the want to take. The goal of this is to allow people to be safer in their abuse and to also be monitored so that if one was to overdose, they would receive immediate care on site. Then the Four Pillars Drug Strategy was implemented. This aimed to prevent harm and create peace within the communities. The four pillars of this strategy are

• Harm reduction

• Prevention

• Treatment

• Enforcement  

These strategies are proven to work because European countries have used them and they have seen huge success within the drug crisis. This plan will reduce the harm that occurs in houses, neighborhoods, communities, and cities.

• Meyers, Dan. Unsplash. April 21, 2021. Photograph. Helping a Friend Overcome Addiction.

• City of Vancouver. “Four Pillars Drug Strategy.” Vancouver.ca, January 20, 2017. https://vancouver.ca/people-programs/four-pillars-drug-strategy.aspx.

• ———. “Vancouver’s Approach to the Overdose Crisis.” Vancouver.ca, April 15, 2019. https://vancouver.ca/people-programs/drugs.aspx.