Nelson Lian

Growing up in Vancouver, I was aware of the heavy drug usage in the DTES.  My mother would always tell me that if I used drugs, I would end up like them.  To be honest, I completely ignored the whole issue until many years later when a friend became an addict. It made me wonder, why people would start if they knew there was negative consequences. People make me mistakes, but help should be offered to those who need it. Unfortunately, the problem is much deeper then that. There is a general stigma that drug addicts cannot be treated, nor trusted.  That kind of negative mentality further worsens the situation, preventing policies that can help rectify the situation. I believe that the more information that we can put out there, the more conversations it would create, the greater chance there is for change.

What I’ve  Learned

Planning for any event is a complex task with lots of uncertainties. There are numerous questions: where should the venue be, how do we attract people, who will help sponsor the event, why my event will make a difference. Networking and learning from individuals is a great way to reduce the learning curve – their advice helps paints the larger picture while pointing to issues we may have overlooked.  There are many different ways we could have conducted this event but it seems that a case study/open dialogue would be the best way to challenge students, while educating them.

I have a better understanding of drug addiction and how victims suffer in a vicious cycle.  Unfortunately for such a complex issue, one has to factor in all the various stakeholders. There is no one solution that will please everyone. Its not about coming up with a compromise, but rather to help put things into perspective.  Our event is to help facilitate this awareness but focusing in on specific segment – business students. For me, the success of this event is not having business students starting social enterprises for drug addicts (although that would be great!). But rather, business students sharing their ideas the next time the issue of drug addiction comes up. An on-going dialogue challenges traditional ideology, and informs others that they are better alternatives out there.