There is a current petition by Vancouver’s Gourmet Warehouse (located at 1340 E Hastings St) to stop a proposed pharmacy from opening down the street from them as the pharmacy will “offer rehabilitation substitution therapies such as methadone and opioid-based treatments” (as all pharmacies do) citing concerns that this will “intensify existing problems, exacerbating safety concerns and potentially escalating criminal activities”.

Not only is this not at all evidence-based but it is a direct violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Section 1.3(1).  Opioid use disorder is a medical condition classified in both the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition) and ICD-10-CM (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification).  Petitioning against a new pharmacy because they dispense medication to treat opioid use disorder (as all pharmacies do) is medical discrimination.  It is no different than petitioning against a pharmacy for dispensing insulin to people with diabetes because they don’t want diabetics in their neighbourhood.

Please join me in boycotting Gourmet Warehouse and email them at service@gourmetwarehouse.ca identifying why you are boycotting.