 HISTORY OF THE FOUR PILLARS IN VANCOUVER
Vancouver's Four Pillars Drug Strategy is a coordinated, comprehensive
approach that balances public order and public health in order
to create a safer, healthier community.
The four pillars approach to drug addiction (harm reduction, prevention,
treatment and enforcement), was first implemented in Switzerland
and Germany in the 1990s. In Geneva, Zurich Frankfurt, Sydney
(Australia) and other cities, the four pillars approach has resulted
in a dramatic reduction in the number of drug users consuming
drugs on the street, a significant drop in overdose deaths and
a reduction in the infection rates for HIV and hepatitis.
In 2000, former Vancouver Mayor Philip Owen released the "Framework
for Action: A Four Pillar Approach to Vancouver's Drug Problems,"
which outlined this integrated approach as a way of addressing
Vancouver's drug problem and open drug scene, particularly in
the Downtown Eastside. In May 2001, the four pillars approach
was adopted as policy by the City of Vancouver. Download a copy
of "A Framework for Action" - English
or Chinese
Earlier, the City of Vancouver had created what's now called the
Four Pillars Coalition, made up of
business, government, non-profit organizations and advocacy groups,
to engage the community in addressing Vancouver's drug problem
and drug-related crime. The Four Pillars Coalition now includes
over 60 organizations dedicated to implementation of the strategy
throughout the city.
In 2005, the City of Vancouver's Drug Policy Program released
the drug policy prevention plan, Preventing
Harm from Psychoactive Substance Use .
In November 2005, Vancouver City Council unanimously endorsed
it. The result of extensive research and diverse community consultations,
the strategy, which is the first of its kind at the municipal
level in Canada, is comprehensive, integrated and based on the
best evidence and research available.
No one agency is responsible for the implementation of the Four
Pillars Drug Strategy. It is a cooperative
project that relies on the coordinated efforts of the Vancouver
Agreement, the City of Vancouver, Vancouver Coastal Health, the
BC government, Health Canada, the Vancouver Police Department,
Four Pillars Coalition members and the community, within their
areas of responsibility.
History
of the Four Pillars - Chinese Version
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