Alberta vs Ottawa: A New Vision of Health | Minister Dan Williams | EP 497

Coming up (0s)

• A natural dopamine kick can be replaced with a synthetic heightened state, which can drive addiction and is problematic (6s).
• Dealing with addiction requires replacing the synthetic heightened state with a sense of purpose and a plan for treatment to prevent escalation (16s).
• As a minister, Dan Williams feels a moral responsibility to support individuals and intervene when necessary to provide treatment and support (26s).

Intro (33s)

• Dan Williams, the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction in Alberta, is the guest for a conversation that covers various topics relevant to an international audience, including the culture war in the West and its intense manifestation in Canada (47s).
• The culture war in Canada is emblematic of the international scene in the developed world, with the country's prime minister being the poster boy for the progressive left, making the Canadian political scene worth paying attention to (1m12s).
• The tension between the progressive left and the center is well demonstrated in Alberta, with the federal government run by the Trudeau liberals and the Alberta government representing typical Canadian conservatism with an entrepreneurial bent (1m47s).
• Alberta's entrepreneurial flare has led to policy movements of international interest, including attempts to address homelessness and addiction through practical, scalable, and effective solutions (2m17s).
• The Alberta approach to addressing homelessness and addiction is in contrast to the "foolish enabling policies of the radical Canadian left" and has shown preliminary evidence of being more effective (2m34s).
• The conversation with Dan Williams will cover the culture war in Canada, practical conservative solutions to public health crises, and the Alberta government's approach to addressing homelessness and addiction (3m18s).

An overview of the provincial Canadian structure (3m20s)

• The Canadian political structure is based on the British North America Act, which is effectively the base of Canada's constitution, established by an act of the legislature parliament in London, England in 1867 (3m55s).
• The federal government, which meets in Ottawa's Parliament, has a House of Commons and a House of Lords, with the Prime Minister being the individual who holds the confidence of the House of Commons (4m18s).
• Each of the 10 provinces in Canada has its own legislature, with the premier of each province holding the confidence of that legislature, meaning they have the most votes (4m29s).
• The British North America Act delineates different areas of jurisdiction, with some areas being exclusively the responsibility of the federal government and others being the responsibility of each province (4m45s).
• Provinces have the authority to decide on matters such as education, healthcare, and transportation, as established in the constitution, and it is not a devolved power from the federal government (5m13s).
• In Canada, people running for political office are typically allied with a political party, with the three main parties being the Liberals, Conservatives, and NDP (Socialists) (6m34s).
• These parties operate at both the provincial and federal levels, with some variation, and have been the dominant parties in Canada since the early 1960s (7m1s).

The rise of populism and grassroots movements (7m11s)

• A typical campaign for a seat in the Alberta legislature or federal Member of Parliament involves a nomination process within a political party to decide the candidate, which requires party membership to vote, and then a general election (7m16s).
• In Alberta and the Western provinces, the main debate is between conservatives and the New Democratic Party (NDP), which self-defines as socialist in its Constitution (8m6s).
• The roots of both the conservatives and NDP in Alberta and the Western provinces come from the same populist Prairie populism movement, which existed before populism became a common term internationally (8m17s).
• The populist movement in the Prairies led to the formation of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) at the Royal Canadian Legion in Calgary, which eventually became the NDP, and also influenced the Reform movement and the Social Credit party in Alberta (8m40s).
• Success can be measured by markers such as money, fame, and power, but fame in itself is not a bad marker, and not everyone who is famous is useful, and not everyone who is not famous is useless (9m2s).
• A small percentage of highly successful men are willing to sacrifice everything in pursuit of success, and success is not a destination but a journey that integrates the idea of the journey and the destination (9m28s).
• There is a bottom-up bubbling up of political sentiment in Western Canada that manifests on the center right and center left, and the Socialists in Canada were originally a working-class labor union party (10m6s).
• The NDP in Canada has shifted in the last 20 years, and today's NDP is not the same as it was in the past, with roots in rural Alberta where Grant Notley, a member of the legislature, was elected (10m30s).
• George Grant, a Canadian author and commentator, initially supported the CCF and NDP but later became a backer of Dean Baker and wrote the book "Lament for a Nation" after Baker's defeat in the 1962 election (10m48s).
• Socialists, especially those in the labor party, traditionally represented working people, while conservatives were associated with large business enterprises, but this dynamic has shifted substantially in Canada at both the federal and provincial levels (11m22s).
• The Liberal party was historically considered the corporatist party in Canada, but this perception has changed, particularly with the rise of conservative parties in Western countries becoming more associated with corporate interests (11m47s).
• Conservative parties in Canada have deviated from their historical grassroots, blue-collar roots, which were similar to the labor movement in the US, and have become more aligned with corporate interests (12m17s).
• The shift in conservative parties' association with corporate interests is a trend observed in the entire Anglo sphere, including the UK and the US (12m9s).
• The rise of conservative parties' alignment with corporate interests is distinct from their historical roots in Canada, which were more focused on grassroots, blue-collar interests (12m19s).
• The Canadian conservative movement is less dramatic and theatrical compared to the US, where politics often involves more showmanship, particularly evident in the mega movement (12m31s).
• Canadian politics is generally more sedate compared to American politics, which may be due to differences in cultural and historical contexts (12m46s).

Campaign restrictions on finances and duration (12m54s)

• In Canada, campaign finance restrictions are in place, with the provincial law limiting campaign spending to approximately $50,000 within a constituency, which is considered ample for hosting events and getting around the constituency (13m2s).
• The constituency in question is about 100,000 square kilometers in size, comparable to the island of Newfoundland or several smaller American states, requiring significant resources for campaigning (13m12s).
• In addition to financial restrictions, there are also duration limitations on campaigning, with the intense campaigning period generally lasting around 90 days, although the writ period in Alberta law is typically around 30 days (13m37s).
• Historically, the Westminster system allowed for snap elections at any time, making it impractical to spend valuable campaign resources before an election was called, but with the move towards fixed election dates, this is becoming less relevant (14m6s).
• As jurisdictions like Alberta adopt fixed election dates, there is an increasing trend of using campaign resources before the official campaign period begins, as people anticipate the upcoming election (14m34s).

The provinces vs. the federal government, equalization (14m40s)

• The provinces in Canada have significant jurisdictions of power, including energy, resources, health, and education, which are not trivial and take up a bulk of what might be considered normal important politics (15m6s).
• There is tension between the provinces and the federal government, as well as between some provinces, particularly regarding the equalization payment issue (15m26s).
• Equalization is a wealth redistribution mechanism that aims to ensure all provinces can manage, despite some provinces being more economically successful due to natural resources or investment (16m3s).
• Alberta feels it is not getting its fair share, with billions of dollars in transfer payments leaving the province and not returning, due to its younger population, higher employment rate, and higher salaries in the resource industry (16m41s).
• Quebec, which receives the bulk of Alberta's transfer payments, has a strongly anti-energy development sentiment, yet its economy depends on these payments, and it imports hundreds of millions of dollars worth of natural gas from the US despite having enough natural gas to supply itself for 200 years (17m28s).
• Quebec's decision not to develop its natural gas resources is seen as interesting, especially given its imports from the US, and its moralizing about environmental superiority while taking money from the energy industry is viewed as hypocritical (18m5s).
• The overrepresentation of Quebec residents in Canada's civil service, due to bilingualism requirements, may not be in Alberta's interests (19m11s).

Why does Alberta put up with transfer payments? Treated as second class citizens (19m21s)

• Alberta's relationship with the federal government regarding transfer payments is contentious, with some questioning why Alberta puts up with the current arrangement (19m21s).
• The main issue is that Alberta does not collect its own taxes, which limits its control over its finances, as the federal government is responsible for tax collection (19m38s).
• Many Albertans feel they are treated as second-class citizens within Canada, despite being a significant contributor to the country's economy and providing opportunities for people from other provinces, such as those from the East Coast who came to work in the oil sands (19m44s).
• Alberta's economy serves as an engine for the rest of Canada, allowing other provinces to thrive, such as when the fisheries shut down on the East Coast and people moved to Alberta for work (19m53s).
• The province has a relatively classless society, where people can easily integrate and feel at home, unlike some other parts of Canada, such as the East Coast, where there is a stronger sense of distinction between locals and outsiders (20m27s).

Alberta and Newfoundland: unity through oil and natural gas (20m34s)

• Alberta welcomed people from Newfoundland with open arms when the cod fishery collapsed, and many Newfoundlanders have become an integral part of Alberta's culture and heritage (20m43s).
• The influx of people from Newfoundland to Alberta during the oil boom created a bond between the two regions, with Alberta providing energy and jobs to much of Canada (20m54s).
• This economic connection helped unite Canada, allowing people from different regions with few common experiences to come together (21m36s).
• The oil and gas industry in Alberta served as a form of long-term insurance, allowing the province to be generous when it was doing well and receive support when it was not (22m2s).
• Alberta was a recipient of transfer payments at some point, and the province was also developed through investment in the west by the Canadian Pacific Railway (22m16s).
• The current issue is the hypocrisy surrounding the energy industry, with some provinces opposing pipelines while still accepting transfer payments (22m36s).
• The energy industry provides not just economic benefits but also social and cultural ones, helping to save marriages and families (22m59s).
• The collapse of an economy can have severe consequences, including increased suicide rates, and it is essential to consider the human impact of economic decisions (23m16s).
• Albertans believe in fairness and collaboration within the Canadian confederation and have no issue with helping other provinces economically (23m30s).
• However, there is a problem with the means by which Alberta enables the rest of the country to succeed being criticized by other provinces (23m48s).

Alberta has the third largest fossil fuel reserves in the world, Trudeau’s most contentious appointee (23m55s)

• Alberta has the third-largest fossil fuel reserves in the world, along with the technology and environmental regulations to utilize these resources in an environmentally friendly manner (23m58s).
• If Alberta's fossil fuels are not used, countries like China will continue to burn coal at a substantial rate, partly due to Canada's federal government (24m27s).
• The federal government, led by Prime Minister Trudeau, has appointed radical environmental activists, such as the Minister of Environment, to oversee the country's industries, which is seen as counterproductive to the economic structure of Western Canada (25m5s).
• The consequence of the federal government's actions is that Canadians in the richest province have lower GDP per capita than people in Mississippi, with Canada's GDP per capita being 60% of the American standard (25m35s).
• The divergence in GDP per capita between Canada and the United States has occurred since Trudeau took office, and there is no reason why Canadians should not be wealthier than Americans if governed by people with sense (25m42s).
• The institutions of Canada have not been working, and the choices made in government have consequences, which can be seen in the history of Argentina since the 1920s (26m16s).
• Good governance and responsible management are necessary to maintain prosperity and provide for the vulnerable, which is Canada's heritage, but the current government has wasted the country's resources (26m52s).
• The economic disaster has social consequences, including families breaking apart and an increase in suicides, and the government's social policies have made the addiction crisis worse, despite data and facts suggesting otherwise (27m4s).
• Canada's institutions, which were built by Canadians, have become weak and are failing the country, whether it's the government, courts, media, academia, or local organizations such as sport clubs (28m22s).
• These institutions were previously strong and played a crucial role in mediating public life and mitigating the common experiences of Canadians, but they are no longer serving this purpose effectively (27m48s).
• Canadians interact with these institutions more frequently than with the prime minister's office, and their failure is having a significant impact on the country (28m13s).
• Balance of Nature is a dietary supplement that provides a convenient way to ensure a wide variety of fruits and vegetables are consumed every day, with no additives, fillers, extracts, synthetics, pesticides, or added sugar (28m46s).
• Balance of Nature's products are made by freeze-drying fruits and vegetables, turning them into a powder, and then putting them into capsules (28m41s).
• A promo code, Jordan, can be used to get 35% off the first order of Balance of Nature, plus a free bottle of fiber and spice (29m6s).

Premier Danielle Smith: modifying the Albertan Bill of Rights to forbid vaccine mandates (29m20s)

• Over the last 10 years, a new breed of conservative has emerged in Canada, with leaders like Danielle Smith, the Premier of Alberta, and Pierre Poilievre, who are emblematic of this shift (29m58s).
• Danielle Smith has made modifications to the Alberta Human Rights Act, also known as the Alberta Bill of Rights, which predates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and applies to provincial jurisdiction (30m12s).
• The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was introduced in 1982 by Pierre Trudeau as a constitutional document to preserve Canadians' liberties and freedoms, but its intention and the role of the Supreme Court are subjects of concern and debate (30m35s).
• The Alberta Bill of Rights has not been updated for decades and is meant to protect Alberta's rights within the province's jurisdiction, with the recent amendments aiming to reflect the interests of Albertans (31m45s).
• The amendments to the Alberta Bill of Rights include the right to property and gun ownership, as property rights in Canada are considered relatively weak (32m7s).
• The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the right to life, liberty, and security of the person in section seven, but this right is considered fundamental and existed before it became part of the Constitution (32m30s).
• The English common law tradition is based on natural law, which exists independently of any positive articulation, and this concept is reflected in the Bill of Rights as a reflection of the reality of rights that predate the state (32m55s).
• The concept of rights and the Rights of Man predate the state, and this is the nature of how rights work, with individuals having intrinsic human dignity that allows them to make their own decisions when it comes to healthcare (33m17s).
• The government has fortified people's rights to bodily autonomy and integrity, effectively forbidding vaccine mandates, as individuals have the right to make their own decisions about their healthcare when they are in possession of their faculties (33m26s).
• The use of force in implementing vaccine mandates was a mistake, as it undermined public trust in public health, and even if the vaccine program worked, the use of force would still have counterproductive consequences (34m35s).
• The use of force has led to increased skepticism about vaccines in general, and has diluted the trust that people have in institutions that had previously protected them, which is a very bad idea (35m28s).
• The government's policy should be invitational rather than requiring force, and there may be exceptions for certain individuals, such as criminals, but generally speaking, policies that require force are badly constituted (34m17s).
• Public trust in public health has plummeted due to the use of force in implementing vaccine mandates, and this has had cascading consequences that are independent of the vaccine debate itself (34m53s).

Reducing the power of the regulatory boards, mandated affirmation from licensed professionals (35m47s)

• The power of regulatory boards, such as professional colleges, has been reduced, which is seen as welcome news for individuals who have faced issues with these boards, such as the Ontario College of Psychologists and Behavior Analysts (35m48s).
• The protection for freedom of speech has been increased, despite the Supreme Court of Canada's previous ruling that professional regulatory boards can do what they want as long as it's reasonable, which is seen as a bad idea given that one in five Canadians are in a regulated profession (36m14s).
• Many professionals in regulated professions, such as psychologists and physicians, are terrified to speak out due to the consequences of telling the truth, which can include scandal, expense, and loss of license (36m41s).
• Psychologists, for example, are mandated to affirm an adolescent's choices regarding gender dysphoria, which is seen as scandalous and barbaric, and can lead to professionals being forced to lie to patients about their children's health (36m57s).
• The consequences of speaking out against these mandates can be severe, including scandal, expense, and loss of license, which can be devastating for professionals and make it difficult for them to continue practicing (38m0s).
• The current situation is seen as a result of a decline in trust in institutions, including the education system, the court system, and the media, which were once considered trustworthy and fundamental to Canadian society (39m0s).
• The decline of trust in institutions is seen as a relatively recent phenomenon, with the past 15 years being a time of significant change and upheaval in Canadian society (40m12s).

“The institutions have fundamentally failed at their roles,” the influx of oxycodone and lost trust (40m24s)

• The institutions have fundamentally failed at their roles, as seen in the case of the opioid addiction crisis in the United States and Canada, which is attributed to the failure of institutions, including the FDA's approval of oxycodone in 1995 despite its high addictive potential (40m24s).
• Oxycodone is twice as powerful as heroin and has a high addictive potential due to its mechanism of action, which is the same as other analgesic medications that produce drug-related reward (41m9s).
• It is very difficult to separate analgesic and addictive properties in pharmacological compounds, and even anti-inflammatories can have indirect mechanisms that reduce pain (41m20s).
• Pharmaceutical companies were lying about the addictive properties of opioids, which was well-established science, and the opioid pandemic was largely caused by marketing and large amounts of money being traded transactionally (42m4s).
• Regulatory bodies, medical schools, and professional colleges were co-opted by the pharmaceutical industry, leading to the widespread prescription of opioids despite their addictive potential (43m1s).
• Professional colleges, such as those for physicians, are self-governing and self-regulating bodies responsible for regulating their professionals to serve the public interest (43m21s).
• These colleges have traditionally operated as administrative boards behind the scenes, dealing with complaints against professionals, but have become more politicized and ideological in recent years (43m49s).
• The government establishes regulatory bodies through legislation to ensure professionals meet certain standards, which helps the public trust them, and this is especially true for medical professionals (44m10s).
• These regulatory bodies set standards of practice, and if a professional does not meet those standards, there could be complaints against them, and the public can be informed (44m14s).
• The government has a responsibility to intervene if these regulatory bodies are not working in the public's interest and are instead protecting a political ideology (44m57s).
• Premier Danielle Smith is bringing forward legislation to address this issue, which will be debated in the upcoming session of the legislature (45m4s).
• In the mid-1990s and early 2000s, institutions meant to protect the public, such as self-regulatory bodies and medical schools, failed to do so as the prescription of oxycodone became widespread (45m16s).
• The widespread prescription of oxycodone led to a significant increase in opioid addiction, with around a quarter billion prescriptions in North America in 2012 alone (45m45s).
• This had severe consequences, including the spread of opioid addiction to small towns and rural areas, and the misconception that these opioids were safe and non-addictive (46m0s).
• The idea that these opioids were long-acting and safe was misleading, and the technology was not as effective as claimed (46m34s).
• The issue of opioid addiction is complex and multifaceted, and it is essential to understand the history and context of the problem to address it effectively (46m43s).

The Alberta Recovery Model - an economically viable solution for homelessness and drug abuse (48m3s)

• The Alberta Recovery Model is a program in Alberta that aims to address homelessness and drug addiction in an economically viable way, which could be duplicated in other parts of North America, particularly contrasting with the approach taken by the NDP in British Columbia (48m35s).
• The model takes a multi-dimensional approach to addressing the homeless crisis and addiction crisis, balancing policing with rehabilitation, which is a difficult task (49m47s).
• Alberta has decided to take a different approach to addressing addiction and homelessness compared to the rest of Canada, which has seen these issues worsen over the last 20-25 years (50m13s).
• Tent cities are a result of the convergence of homelessness, addiction, and mental health issues, and Alberta's approach aims to provide supports to this vulnerable population (50m39s).
• In Alberta's largest correction facility, 9 out of 10 people admitted to having a serious addiction, and the warden believes that 1 out of 10 people who deny having an addiction are likely lying, indicating that addiction is a ubiquitous issue among this population (51m11s).
• The Alberta Recovery Model aims to address the underlying issues that lead to criminality, such as addiction, rather than just treating the symptoms (51m30s).
• The model is based on a sophisticated and multi-dimensional approach, which is different from the approach taken by the rest of Canada, which has been criticized for facilitating addiction (49m41s).
• Jason Nixon, another minister in the Alberta government, has been involved in addressing addiction issues throughout his life, and his experience has informed the development of the Alberta Recovery Model (48m22s).

The co-occurrence of alcoholism and drug addiction (51m42s)

• There is a strong co-occurrence of alcoholism and drug addiction, with almost everybody who has a drug addiction problem also having an alcohol problem (51m42s).
• Alcohol is often used in conjunction with other substances, such as cocaine, and can increase aggression, with it being implicated in 50% of murders and 50% of victims being drunk (52m8s).
• Alcohol is also a significant contributor to crime, including domestic violence, with it being a major factor in almost all cases (52m14s).
• As individuals become addicted and fall out of society, they may turn to crime to fund their addiction, which can have catastrophic consequences, including economic costs that far outweigh any benefits to the criminal (52m45s).
• There is a strong association between addiction, mental health problems, and criminality, including both active and passive forms of criminality, such as the breakdown of social norms and the occupation of public lands (53m7s).
• The widespread despair and catastrophe associated with addiction can lead to a decrease in civility and social norms, particularly in places with harsh environments, such as Alberta (53m30s).

How one crisis became two: oxycodone over-prescription caused the opioid epidemic in North America (53m53s)

• The Alberta model addresses the addiction crisis by understanding why it has been a significant problem, which involves looking at how the oxycodone crisis turned into a second crisis within Canada, propagated and aggravated by federal government policies (53m54s).
• The model assumes that addiction is a part of the crisis individuals face, and addressing it is crucial, especially when considering housing first approaches, as Minister Nixon pointed out that not addressing addiction can lead to difficulties (54m17s).
• Opioid addiction can cause individuals to lose a significant amount of body weight due to a lack of desire to eat or drink, as the dopamine hit from opioids is a 200% increase from the baseline level (54m30s).
• Research on rats indicates that it is challenging to addict them to cocaine in their wild habitat, but isolation in a cage can lead to addiction, suggesting that social isolation can contribute to addiction in humans (55m11s).
• Western society's increasing atomization and isolation can make individuals more susceptible to addiction, as they seek alternative forms of reward, and addiction can be seen as a disease of isolation (55m46s).
• The antidote to addiction is recovery, which involves community relationships and a sense of purpose (56m6s).
• The oxycodone crisis created a North American opioid pandemic, and the Stanford Lan commission, led by Dr. Keith Humphreys, is considered an authority on the topic, highlighting the crisis's distinctly North American characteristics (56m47s).
• The opioid crisis created a market for opioid users that went beyond traditional heroin markets, affecting cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and New York, and involving individuals who had previously been prescribed opioids (57m6s).
• The late 1990s and early 2000s saw a massive explosion in the market for opioids, which led to increased harm and addiction, as the supply of high-powered opioids was increased without barriers, and trusted institutions like family physicians prescribed these opioids, often with huge amounts of diversion (57m20s).
• The diversion of opioids meant that the person prescribed the opioid did not receive it, but instead, it was traded or marketed to someone else, creating a new addict, and the addiction continued to escalate as users became tolerant and required more powerful opioids (57m59s).
• The resurgence of the heroin market across North America was a result of the increased tolerance to opioids, which opened the door to fentanyl and other more powerful opioids, such as carfentanyl and su-fentanyl (58m26s).
• Fentanyl is about 100 to 200 times more powerful than oxycodone, which is twice as powerful as heroin, and as tolerance continues to escalate, users seek more and more powerful opioids, leading to a cycle of addiction (58m42s).
• Opioids not only give users a dopamine hit and a high but also access different receptors in the brain, including those that depress respiration, leading to potentially fatal consequences, such as cerebral hypoxia, which is akin to drowning in daylight (59m30s).
• The failure of institutions, including academic institutions, colleges, and regulatory bodies, to regulate the access to opioids and the actions of physicians went unchecked for over a decade, creating a mass market for opioids and a slow-moving freight train towards the healthcare system and communities (1h0m13s).
• The addiction to opioids will escalate and run its course, with only two possible ends, and anyone who claims otherwise is lying, as the addiction will continue to worsen without intervention (1h0m40s).
• Addiction often leads to severe consequences, including pain, misery, and potentially death through overdose or other related issues such as malnutrition or injuries from living on the streets, ultimately resulting in trauma and carnage (1h0m51s).
• The only alternative to these negative outcomes is treatment and recovery from addiction, which can provide a second chance at life and the opportunity to reintegrate into the community as a reliable and contributing member (1h1m5s).
• Research has consistently shown that treatment and recovery from addiction can help individuals regain their roles in society, such as being a reliable brother or mother (1h1m14s).

Religious transformation and breaking the addiction cycle (1h1m20s)

• Research has shown that one of the primary pathways to recovery from addiction is through a process approximating religious transformation, which has been known for seven or eight decades (1h1m28s).
• The brain's reward system is driven by dopamine, which is released when an individual moves towards a valued goal, reinforcing the development of neural systems underlying that movement (1h1m51s).
• Addictive substances like alcohol falsely stimulate the brain's reward system, leading to a dependence on the substance for a sense of purposeful action (1h2m33s).
• To overcome addiction, an individual must find a replacement or better alternative to activate the same neural systems, reducing cravings pharmacologically (1h2m50s).
• The substitution of a new purpose can provide a natural dopamine kick, but it's essential to address the underlying issues driving the addiction (1h3m1s).
• If left unaddressed, addiction can escalate, leading to tolerance and increased risk of overdose, as the body adapts by shutting down opioid receptors (1h3m46s).
• In Alberta, there have been cases of individuals overdosing multiple times, with one person overdosing 186 times, highlighting the need for effective interventions (1h4m7s).
• As a minister, there is a moral responsibility to support individuals in recovery and intervene to prevent addiction from running its course, which can end in death (1h5m1s).
• Building a comprehensive healthcare system is crucial in helping people achieve recovery and addressing the root causes of addiction (1h5m12s).

The policy response exempted criminal drug abuse, focusing on a “safe drug supply” only made the problem worse (1h6m27s)

• Alberta has been taking down tent cities for about a year, with the situation varying across cities such as Edmonton, Calgary, Peace River, and Grand Prairie in terms of homeless encampments (1h6m40s).
• The policy response in Canada to the mass induction of opioid uptake across North America began to develop around 1995, with the introduction of oxycodone, and later, the establishment of safe injection sites or drug consumption sites, such as Insite in Vancouver in 2003 (1h7m24s).
• The idea of safe injection sites was a response to the failure of the war on drugs and the realization that it was difficult to prohibit the supply of potent and valuable drugs, leading to a harm reduction model that aimed to reduce the harmful outcomes of drug use (1h8m8s).
• The harm reduction model, which included needle exchanges and cleanups, was articulated in Canada, especially in Vancouver, with exemptions to the criminal code for certain sites, and the goal of facilitating the minimizing of harm (1h8m48s).
• However, the logical conclusion of this approach has led to programs such as SA for Supply, funded by the federal government in Ontario and British Columbia, which provides pharmaceutical-grade opioids, including Hydromorphone, a drug five times as powerful as heroin (1h9m22s).
• The policy of harm reduction has been extended to include the provision of a safer drug supply, with the goal of reducing overdoses and deaths from toxic drugs, such as fentanyl (1h10m0s).
• The language used to describe the addiction crisis in Canada is seen as abusive and inauthentic, framing the issue as a toxic drug supply problem rather than an addiction crisis (1h10m8s).
• The proposed solution to the toxic drug supply is a "safe supply" of pharmaceutical-grade opioids, such as hydromorphone, which is being distributed in large quantities, including approximately 54 million pills in Vancouver last year (1h10m57s).
• However, hydromorphone is not powerful enough to satisfy the cravings of those addicted to fentanyl, which is 100 times more powerful, leading to the possibility of users trading the safe supply for illicit fentanyl (1h11m31s).
• This has resulted in the flooding of the market with high-powered opioids, with the price of hydromorphone dropping from $15-20 per pill to around $1 per pill in some areas (1h12m29s).
• The opioid crisis began with the mass supply of Oxycodone, which created a large number of new users, and the current safe supply program is seen as repeating the same mistakes (1h12m46s).
• The government is funding the safe supply program with tax dollars, despite concerns about mass diversion and the potential for the opioids to be repurposed by drug cartels (1h13m25s).
• The RCMP has seized tens of thousands of pills from safe supply programs that were intended to be repurposed for resale by drug cartels in British Columbia and neighboring provinces, including Alberta (1h13m37s).
• The safe supply program is seen as aggravating the devastating problem of opioid addiction, pouring fuel on a dumpster fire rather than addressing the root causes of the issue (1h13m56s).
• The current approach to addressing addiction in Canada, particularly with regards to opioid use, has been deemed a failure due to the increase in supply without barriers, leading to mass diversion of high-powered opioids and causing more harm and addiction (1h14m0s).
• Research from institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, and Yale, as well as international experts, has consistently shown that this approach is not effective and is, in fact, causing more harm (1h14m48s).
• The policy of harm reduction, which started with good intentions, has become "harm production" due to the expansion of unsafe supply and the proliferation of drug consumption sites (1h15m8s).
• Canada has a uniquely high number of drug consumption sites, with more sites than the rest of the world combined, and this approach is not widely adopted in other countries, including Europe (1h15m19s).
• The "safe supply" policies, which aim to provide a safer alternative to illicit opioids, have been criticized for being ineffective and even counterproductive, with some experts arguing that they are contributing to the problem (1h15m56s).
• Dr. Bonnie Henry, the Chief Medical Officer of Health in British Columbia, has been a proponent of the "safe supply" approach, but her recent reports have been criticized for being ideologically driven and ignoring the evidence of diversion and harm (1h16m0s).
• The suggestion to provide more powerful opioids, including fentanyl, as a solution to the opioid crisis has been met with criticism, as it goes against the original goal of reducing fentanyl use and ignores the dangers of recreational opioid use (1h16m47s).
• The science is clear that high-powered opioids are dangerous and addictive, and that addiction is a life-threatening disease that requires treatment, not just harm reduction strategies (1h17m2s).
• British Columbia is distributing drugs that have the same physiological effect, leading to catastrophic consequences and community destruction, similar to what would occur in Alberta if left unaddressed (1h17m27s)
• Alberta is now starting to address the addiction crisis in this context (1h17m42s)

Addiction anthropology: addressing the heart of the problem (1h17m44s)

• The alternative model for addressing addiction starts with understanding the nature of addiction, which is crucial in developing effective policies, and if this understanding is incorrect, policies may be unhelpful or even disastrous (1h17m44s).
• The radical activist perspective views addiction as a problem of an unsafe supply, rather than an addiction crisis, and suggests facilitating addiction indefinitely through measures such as increasing drug consumption sites and providing an unsafe supply of drugs at taxpayer expense (1h18m17s).
• This perspective frames addiction inauthentically and cynically as a toxic drug supply problem, rather than addressing the underlying issues of addiction (1h18m46s).
• A more effective approach is to meet individuals where they are and provide them with healthcare, regardless of the underlying causes of their addiction, such as homelessness, mental health issues, or work-related injuries (1h19m8s).
• In Canada, healthcare should be focused on healing people and getting them healthy, but this is not always the case, particularly in the field of mental health and addiction, which is a policy failure and an institutional failure of academics (1h19m12s).
• The nature of addiction is that it is a disease that is recoverable, and the Alberta recovery model is centered on this understanding (1h19m34s).
• Factors such as individual autonomy and social isolation can contribute to addiction crises, and addressing these underlying issues is crucial in developing effective solutions (1h19m45s).
• The government's response to addiction should be to provide an off-ramp out of addiction, rather than facilitating it, and Alberta has taken a different approach to addressing addiction compared to other provinces such as British Columbia (1h20m32s).
• In Alberta, the focus is on providing individuals with an off-ramp out of addiction, particularly those with zero recovery capital, such as individuals who are intermittently homeless, have an indigenous background, or are suffering from mental health crises (1h20m41s).
• These individuals require an intervention to address their addiction and underlying issues, and the government's response should be to provide them with the necessary support and resources (1h21m10s).
• Interventions in individuals' lives can take various forms, such as interactions with the justice system or healthcare crises, and are often necessary for addressing issues like addiction (1h21m12s).
• Successful addiction treatment programs often involve industries that impose strict consequences for substance use, such as the airline industry, which can revoke licenses and require mandatory treatment (1h21m31s).
• For individuals with more "recovery capital," or those who still have some capacity for support, the state needs to provide broader societal support to help them recover (1h21m56s).
• Those without the ability or institutional support to recover require alternative opportunities, emphasizing the importance of addressing underlying trauma or issues driving addiction (1h22m5s).
• Most addiction treatment after medical detox focuses on the social and psychological aspects of addiction, recognizing it as a single disease regardless of whether it's a process addiction or substance addiction (1h22m26s).
• Addressing the root cause of addiction, often some form of trauma or issue, is crucial for helping individuals through their crisis and facilitating recovery (1h22m22s).

The first practical steps in detoxifying Canada (1h22m44s)

• The first practical step in detoxifying Canada is building a network of detox centers and stabilization across the province, with a focus on increasing treatment capacity, particularly in major urban centers (1h22m45s).
• Since 2019, Alberta has increased its treatment capacity by approximately 50%, adding around 10,000 spaces, with the majority being detox spaces (1h23m2s).
• Medically supervised detox is a crucial step, especially for individuals struggling with alcohol or benzodiazepine addiction, as it can be a precarious situation with negative health outcomes if not done properly (1h23m31s).
• The detox process typically lasts from a few days to two weeks, depending on the individual's situation and the level of medical supervision required (1h23m24s).
• In addition to detox centers, Alberta has funded numerous non-profit, community-based treatment centers, including indigenous and faith-based organizations, to provide a variety of approaches to recovery (1h23m52s).
• To evaluate the effectiveness of these programs, Alberta uses the "My Recovery Plan" metric, which assesses an individual's recovery capital through a combination of subjective analysis and hard metrics (1h24m15s).
• The goal is to build a recovery continuum that supports individuals from the initial detox stage to post-recovery housing and community integration, with a focus on increasing recovery capital and reducing overdose reversals and deaths (1h24m31s).
• Currently, the primary metric used to measure success in Canada and North America is the number of overdose deaths, but the aim is to develop more proactive indicators that can identify individuals who are steering in the right direction towards recovery (1h24m48s).

Recovery capital, dismantling the lawless gang-run drug encampments (1h25m13s)

• Recovery Capital is a concept that assesses an individual's embeddedness in the social structure, including relationships, connections, and a sense of purpose, which is crucial for recovery from addiction (1h25m16s).
• The goal is to measure Recovery Capital through subjective and objective measurements to steer individuals towards a positive recovery path, preventing them from ending up in emergency rooms or experiencing overdose-related complications (1h25m50s).
• The current approach to addiction treatment focuses on medical detox, followed by social, psychological, and relational interventions, emphasizing the importance of addressing the individual's social connections and relationships (1h25m55s).
• In Alberta, the government has been dismantling tent encampments, which are often run by brutal individuals and drug cartels, and instead, offers navigation centers that provide a hub for various supports, including ID services, detox, and treatment (1h26m41s).
• These navigation centers aim to reroute individuals towards recovery, connecting them to a network of recovery communities, therapeutic living communities, and even units within provincial correction facilities that focus on voluntary recovery programs (1h27m57s).
• The government has created 10,000 spaces for detox and recovery, with the goal of helping individuals achieve a positive recovery path and rebuild their lives (1h28m4s).
• Some individuals have voluntarily participated in recovery programs within correction facilities, demonstrating a commitment to rebuilding their lives and reconnecting with their families (1h28m18s).
• The government's approach prioritizes early intervention, prevention, and providing support to individuals struggling with addiction, rather than solely focusing on emergency responses (1h26m27s).
• Alberta is expanding its therapeutic living units in Red Deer and prisons, offering a voluntary program for individuals struggling with addiction to seek help and start their recovery journey (1h28m46s).
• The program has a "captive audience" and provides an opportunity for individuals to work on their addiction and recover, with the goal of expanding across the entire system (1h28m57s).
• There are currently three therapeutic living units with 11 to 20 individuals in each, and the program is continuing to expand (1h29m9s).
• The alternative to recovery is considered "unconscionable," and there is a moral imperative to provide opportunities for recovery, as Canadians and Albertans deserve to live in a safe environment (1h29m26s).
• The government is building 11 long-term, high-quality, free-access drug and addiction recovery treatment centers for those in active addiction who have gone through detox (1h30m16s).
• These centers will provide a long-term recovery phase, which can last from months to up to a year, and will utilize opio agonist therapy, including methadone and sublate, a buprenorphine product (1h30m23s).
• Sublate is an injectable, subcutaneous medication that provides 30 days of slow dispense, reducing cravings and protecting against overdose, with an incredibly low addictive potential (1h30m55s).
• The goal of these programs is to provide individuals with a "breath of fresh air" and allow them to recover from their addiction, while also ensuring public safety and dignity for every individual (1h31m43s).
• Opioid agonist therapy has shown good outcomes, especially when paired with social psychotherapy, resulting in a synergy that allows for much better outcomes, with data from the Canadian Center for Recovery Excellence supporting this approach (1h32m4s).
• The combination of medical treatment, detox, virtual opioid dependency programs, long-term recovery centers, and long-term recovery housing can lead to high rates of long-term recovery, with data showing that individuals who reach the 2-year mark are much more likely to achieve long-term recovery (1h32m41s).
• The risk of relapse in addiction treatment is high, with most people experiencing multiple instances of recidivism before achieving long-term recovery (1h33m29s).
• Alberta's program is relatively new, and while data is still being collected, some studies have shown long-term recovery rates of over 50%, with one example from Italy showing rates of over 72% after a 3-year stay in a therapeutic living community (1h34m15s).
• Long-term treatment periods and community-oriented living recovery communities have shown promise in achieving high long-term recovery rates, with the concept of therapeutic living communities gaining attention in North America as a potential opportunity to build recovery into addiction treatment policy (1h34m52s).
• The Canadian Center for Recovery Excellence is partnering with institutions to publish data on opioid agonist therapy and long-term recovery outcomes, which will be important in proving the effectiveness of Alberta's approach (1h32m11s).
• Minister Nixon is supporting long-term recovery housing, which is an important component of the overall approach to achieving high rates of long-term recovery (1h32m39s).

Addressing Conservative skepticism and balancing government-run intervention (1h35m4s)

• The discussion revolves around reconciling a relatively interventionist strategy in healthcare with the minimalist approach to government intervention often associated with conservatism (1h35m5s).
• A conservative skeptic might view the implementation of a new healthcare strategy as another bureaucratic growth that expands indefinitely with dubious outcomes (1h35m32s).
• The Health Care System is based on the idea that each individual has dignity and intrinsic worth, and conservatism is about laboring towards the common good (1h36m5s).
• The idea that Canadians have to choose between being compassionate towards those in addiction or having safe communities is a false dichotomy (1h36m35s).
• Caring for those in addiction and having safe communities are not mutually exclusive, and in fact, they are one and the same (1h37m9s).
• Individuals suffering from addiction are not free agents and require societal intervention to protect their well-being (1h37m33s).
• A well-ordered state intervenes in a compassionate manner to protect vulnerable individuals, including those in addiction (1h37m52s).
• It is essential to distinguish between compassion and enabling, as enabling can be a devouring form of pseudo-compassion (1h38m6s).
• True compassion often requires using judgment and setting boundaries to help individuals in trouble (1h38m26s).
• The concept of addiction anthropology, adopted by the left, is that those in addiction should be given higher and higher powered opioids indefinitely, which is a form of harm reduction that can lead to harm production (1h39m1s).
• This approach is seen as problematic, as it fails to acknowledge that there are consequences for actions, and that continuing to destroy one's life and cause harm to the community should not be permitted in society (1h39m23s).
• The presence of tent encampments and gang encampments is seen as a threat to civil order, undermining the sense of a high-trust society, which is a valuable resource that is easy to disrupt (1h39m47s).
• The public landscape should not be littered with evidence of systemic and civilizational collapse in the form of homeless people overcome by fentanyl-induced pathology (1h40m16s).
• The alternative to treatment is tragedy, and the options are to either let someone die or help them die, which is not an acceptable assumption (1h40m45s).
• The assumption that life is valuable and has dignity, and that healthcare should heal and not harm, is seen as radical when compared to public health policies across Canada (1h41m5s).
• Legislation called "Compassion to Vention" will be introduced, which will allow for intervention if someone is a danger to themselves or others due to substance use or addiction, as the alternative to intervention is tragedy or death (1h41m20s).
• The goal of this legislation is to intervene earlier, rather than later, and to provide a pathway for those struggling with addiction to receive help, rather than being arrested or coming to the attention of the public health or healthcare system (1h41m55s).
• The current system for addressing opioid addiction and other substance abuse issues is ineffective, as it often fails to provide meaningful consequences or recourse to treatment and recovery, allowing individuals to continue destructive behavior with minimal repercussions (1h42m10s).
• A proposed policy aims to address this issue by introducing a system with true recourse to treatment and recovery, which would include checks and balances to prevent abuse and ensure that individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others receive the help they need (1h42m43s).
• The policy would provide an obligation for society to intervene and prevent individuals from continuing to destroy their lives, rather than simply allowing them to continue down a path of addiction and potential harm to themselves or others (1h42m51s).
• The intervention could take various forms, including less formal approaches or laws that provide consequences for not seeking help, with the goal of bringing confidence back to the system and institutions in Canada (1h43m22s).
• The proposed consequence of the policy would be charitable, compassionate, and focused on bringing long-term success for individuals and communities, rather than simply punishing those struggling with addiction (1h43m37s).
• The policy is planned to be introduced in the spring, although a specific date or timeline has not been provided (1h43m44s).

We need credible longitudinal data to disprove the corrupt institutions (1h43m50s)

• The goal is to re-evaluate the data being produced at some point in the future to determine if it's of sufficient quality and magnitude to review intelligently (1h43m50s).
• Currently, there is good data around the virtual opioid dependency program, but longitudinal data is needed to understand the nature of the problem (1h44m9s).
• Some community college professors and academics have failed dramatically in providing accurate information and have pushed ideological lies, particularly regarding unsafe supply (1h44m32s).
• These academics often don't distinguish between opioid therapy and unsafe supply, and they only track data for a short period after an intervention (1h44m44s).
• To accurately assess the effectiveness of interventions, data needs to be collected over a longer period, such as two years after mass supplying high-powered opioids (1h45m4s).
• Within a few months, more data will be available on the early stages of the system, and partnerships with institutions like Harvard and Yale will help to credibly internationalize the data (1h45m13s).
• The current myopic view in Canada, dominated by community college professors and activists, needs to be scrutinized, and international perspectives can provide a more balanced understanding (1h45m27s).
• The conservatives are bringing forward compassionate social policy, and despite obstacles from institutions like academia and the media, they are winning the debate in Alberta (1h45m58s).
• The government will continue to face challenges, including in the courts, where the Supreme Court has become a place of political activism (1h46m28s).
• The conservative right in Canada needs to recognize the politicization of the Supreme Court and the impact of its decisions on the country (1h46m53s).
• Alberta has seen a significant decrease in opioid overdoses, with a 42-50% decrease year over year, due to the implementation of a culture of recovery, which is a radical policy that is working and is the right thing to do (1h47m28s).
• Conservatives need to appreciate that they have a moral argument to make in caring compassionately for those who are vulnerable, and they need to take the moral upper hand away from progressives (1h47m54s).
• The current state of society is completely different from what it was in the past, and radical activists consumed by intersectional Marxist ideology will not stop pushing their agenda, requiring conservatives to be confident and frame their policies in a moral language (1h48m36s).
• The left has controlled many social policies in Canada for the last 30-40 years, resulting in carnage for those suffering from addiction, and conservatives have an opportunity to articulate a new vision that truly cares for the vulnerable (1h49m11s).
• Leaders like Pierre Poilievre and Danielle Smith are doing a great job of articulating this new vision, and there is a growing population of Canadians who are craving a more caring and conservative approach to policy (1h49m17s).
• The policies adopted need to be framed in a way that prioritizes the common good, communities, and the welfare of the most vulnerable, rather than just focusing on dollars and cents (1h49m54s).
• Alberta is leading the way in Canadian politics, and this is an exciting development that demonstrates a new vision for the country (1h50m10s).
• Alberta is being recognized for its innovative and practical approach to addressing addiction, which has led to a significant reduction in overdose deaths, with a 40-50% decrease in opioid-related overdose deaths over the past four months (1h50m29s).
• The province's approach is grounded in its heritage and values, but also open to entrepreneurship and innovation, with credit given to Premier Danielle Smith and former Premier Jason Kenney for their leadership on this issue (1h50m56s).
• The reduction in overdose deaths has put pressure on activists who oppose the policy, forcing them to explain why they are against a approach that is clearly saving lives (1h51m16s).
• Some activists are more committed to their ideology than to the dignity of the human person, and are more interested in self-aggrandisement than in helping those who are suffering (1h51m36s).
• The discussion will continue on The Daily Wire, where the relationship between the Alberta and Canadian political landscape and the international culture war will be explored, as well as efforts to shift the cultural narrative through the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (1h51m57s).
• There is a possibility that Pierre Poilievre may become the leader of Canada in the near future, which could lead to broader changes in the country (1h52m29s).