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New Article dissects the criminological components of Alberta's Supervised Consumption Site (SCS) Report. I'll summarize and extrapolate below. 
1/15(Spoiler alert: SCSs don't cause crime)
#abpoli #ableg #scs #CrimTwitter @GoAHealth https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-020-00456-2
There are countless reasons why the Report isn't worth the paper it's written on. #WastedTaxDollars 2/15
The Report mistreats and misconstrues police service call data, relying on crude measures of "crime". #CrimeFiction 3/15
The survey methods presented in the Report are deeply problematic. The review haphazardly assesses public perceptions and cherry-picks anecdotal and biased accounts of "crime" to feed a preexisting narrative. #SurveyBias 4/15
The Report employs unscientific and invalid "methods" to measure and interpret changes in "crime". #MissingAnalysis 5/15
Despite attempts to blame SCSs for many things, the severe methodological flaws prevent any observed effects from being attributed to the SCSs. #fatalflaws 6/15
Basic research principles and evaluation procedures are overlooked, ignored, and inadequately performed by the government appointed review Committee. #badscience 7/15
My review finds that:
"the magnitude of methodological flaws in the Report undermine the validity of its criminological claims and raise significant issues with the soundness of it conclusions" 8/15
"the magnitude of methodological flaws in the Report undermine the validity of its criminological claims and raise significant issues with the soundness of it conclusions" 8/15
The Report shows a disregard for rigourous science & sound evidence when it comes to reducing deaths of people who use drugs.
Despite being aware of the severe methodological problems: "the [Alberta] government accepts the report in its entirety" 9/15 https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/academics-question-methodology-of-ucp-approved-supervised-consumption-sites-report
Despite being aware of the severe methodological problems: "the [Alberta] government accepts the report in its entirety" 9/15 https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/academics-question-methodology-of-ucp-approved-supervised-consumption-sites-report
The review Committee believed that a hasty and substandard evaluation (of a life-saving service) was good enough for people who use drugs.
Meanwhile, 904 people died from opioid overdoses in Alberta during the first 10 months of 2020. #DoNoHarm 10/15 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5493307
Meanwhile, 904 people died from opioid overdoses in Alberta during the first 10 months of 2020. #DoNoHarm 10/15 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5493307
For months, Alberta's government has been called on to retract the flawed and harmful Report for the reasons I outlined in the article and numerous other reasons #retract @YourAlberta 11/15 https://www.drugpolicy.ca/open-letter-calling-on-the-alberta-government-to-retract-supervised-consumption-site-study/
The Report embodies the structural violence contibuting to stigma, policy paralysis, and massive loss of life that @ZoeDodd & @DrMtyndall recently described. It impedes life-saving and evidence-based harm reduction efforts in Alberta and globally. 12/15 https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/how-structural-violence-prohibition-and-stigma-have-paralyzed-north-american-responses-opioid/2020-08
The solution to the overdose/ drug-poisoning crisis is clearly articulated by experts and advocates:
Expand harm reduction
Create safer supply
Decriminalize drugs
SCSs are key to an effective response, despite what the Report suggests. 13/15 https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-covid-19-crisis-is-likely-to-blame-for-albertas-rising-overdoses
Expand harm reduction Create safer supply Decriminalize drugsSCSs are key to an effective response, despite what the Report suggests. 13/15 https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-covid-19-crisis-is-likely-to-blame-for-albertas-rising-overdoses
Alberta's Gov't, assisted by the review Committee, produced & disseminated a political Report aimed at undermining support of SCSs with full knowledge that doing so would (& has) worsen a public health catastrophe. @jasonluan88 @shandro #ShameOnYou 14/15 https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/opioid-overdose-deaths-soar-in-alberta-marking-the-deadliest-year-ever-recorded
Show your support by donating to harm reduction orgs serving Alberta:
https://ca.gofundme.com/f/lethbridge-overdose-prevention-society-lops
http://www.streetworks.ca
https://hivcl.org/
https://turningpoint-ca.org/
https://northreach.ca/
https://bissellcentre.org/
https://www.momsstoptheharm.com/
http://www.nandalaw.ca/ioat
15/15
https://ca.gofundme.com/f/lethbridge-overdose-prevention-society-lops
http://www.streetworks.ca
https://hivcl.org/
https://turningpoint-ca.org/
https://northreach.ca/
https://bissellcentre.org/
https://www.momsstoptheharm.com/
http://www.nandalaw.ca/ioat
15/15
