VIDEO: Vancouver Police seize cannabis from DTES overdose prevention site

Police seize cannabis from nonprofit opioid substitution site (@sarahblyth/Twitter)

On Friday afternoon, Vancouver police raided an opioid substitution site set up in the Downtown Eastside market.

Sarah Blyth, founder of the Overdose Prevention Society (OPS) and High Hopes Foundation, caught the incident on camera.

Blyth can be heard telling the officers, “good for you guys taking opiate replacement for people,” who answer, “marijuana is still illegal, Sarah.”

VPD just siezed cannabis replacement program #vanpoli walked right by fentany dealers with it #beyondthecall pic.twitter.com/lVWfoKfN3W

— Sarah Blyth (@sarahblyth) September 14, 2018

VPD tweeted that no one claimed ownership of the cannabis so it was taken to police property for disposal.

VPD officers seized cannabis products displayed for sale today at an unmanned table at the market at 62 E. Hastings Street. No one would claim ownership of the products, so they were taken to the #VPD property office for destruction.

— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) September 14, 2018

In 2017, opioid overdoses killed nearly 4,000 Canadians, almost of third of which were in BC.

High Hopes is a harm reduction effort that provides access to cannabis as an alternative to opioids and pain management in Vancouver’s most at-risk neighbourhood.

According to Health Canada’s Canadian Cannabis Survey 2017, 72% of 9,215 respondents who used medical cannabis said it helped to decrease their use of other medications.

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