British Columbia

I don't think the political right really cares. They don't particularly think addicts' lives matter.

The problem with studies like this one is the "...and then?" factor. A lot of voters will see this and think "Ok, so why do I care about reducing overdoses and deaths?". You might think I'm kidding, but I'm not: a lot of advocates on the left talk a lot about saving addicts' lives, but the political right doesn't care: they care about property, and if an addict dies, that's one less person who might steal their stuff.

We're shouting past each other on this issue: if you want to convert the right, you need to explain why this will prevent people from stealing their Amazon packages or breaking into their business in the middle of the night. On the same side, the right needs to understand that the left doesn't really care about property loss.

If they're dead, they can't recover. Yes, fixing people is better than just holding them together, but holding them together buys more time for permanent solutions.