The last week of August is Overdose Awareness Week , an international campaign to address a truly international crisis. In the Bay Area, the conversation about the opioid epidemic often focuses on San Francisco, where 806 people died last year . This week, KPIX will be looking at the opioid crisis through the lens of another city.
It's a West Coast city famed for its incredible natural beauty, diverse culture, and cosmopolitan living. In fact, It's often cited as one of the most desirable places to live in the world. Vancouver -- much like San Francisco -- has become one of the epicenters of the drug crisis.
In both cities, fentanyl has been the primary driver of the overdose surge over the past ten years, But Vancouver, and British Columbia, have responded differently, using approaches we often just hear about in the United States. "Like I said, I've been out here for far too long," explained Jeffrey Brocklesby. "Nobody's alive from when I started my addiction.
Not one person. Not one." Brocklesby has spent 20 years in the streets and alleys of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
Everyone he knew when he started, all lost to the very same gamble. "So there's crystal meth in there," he said of the drugs on a piece of tin foil. "And there's fentanyl.
Hopefully that's what it is." He admits that he's surprised that he's still alive, having been pulled into the crisis that will look very recognizable to San Franciscans. "This is Main and Hastings," Brocklesby said of the nearby landm.