Crackdown: The Knock
Crackdown is a podcast that discusses the drug war in Canada. It is produced by Garth Mullins and other people who are members of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users.
Episode #38 “The Knock” (06/01/2023) features two parents, Hawkfeather Peterson and Elli Taylor, sharing their experiences as parents who actively use drugs. In the 80s and 90s, there was a moral panic around crack babies, i.e., babies exposed to crack cocaine in utero, that turned out not to have a medical basis. However, policies and programs created during that time have continue to have negative repercussions on mothers and birthing parents who use drugs today.
Hawkfeather discusses how being a drug user does not make them a bad parent: They recall that the only time they ever hollered at their kids was when they were not using drugs. Still, Hawkfeather recollects a harrowing experience when they feared they would lose their children due to their drug use. To address the overdose crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, a limited number of doctors in Canada could prescribe hydromorphone (Brand name: Dilaudid) to opioid users. This is an opioid that is like heroin. Prescribing this “safer supply” of opioids to users reduces their risk of overdose. When Hawkfeather asked their doctor for Dilaudid, the doctor threatened to call the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Hawkfeather pleaded with the doctor, explaining that their drug use does not affect their ability to parent their children. Although, the doctor never called the Ministry, Hawkfeather continues to live in fear of having their children taken away.
Elli, on the other hand, was not as lucky as Hawkfeather. Upon the birth of Elli’s daughter, the Ministry showed up at the hospital and said, “We are here to help you since you are First Nations.” Elli describes how after that hospital experience social workers would show up at their house and do random drug tests. This happened 25 times! When Eli’s daughter was 3 years old, the Ministry showed up when Elli was high. Elli’s daughter was taken away. This was a devastating experience for Elli: their drug use and housing insecurity increased. The podcast explained that having children often serves as a motivator for parents to stay clean and if children are removed, parents’ risk behaviors may increase. Crackdown argues that parents should have autonomy to use drugs safely and keep their children. When parents have their children taken away, they experience trauma, grief and loss which complicates their ability to stop using and delays reunification with their children.
The podcast highlighted the fact that indigenous women often avoid health care services, (e.g., detox or treatment services) because they are afraid of losing their children. To protect their family, women go without lifesaving medical treatment and/or depend on unsafe street drugs.
SHAWN research builds knowledge about the HIV risk of justice-involved women who use drugs. This podcast episode informs my work as a SHAWN Research Assistant by encouraging me to show empathy to all people who use drugs, including parents. The stories in “The Knock” also help me understand the fear and trauma of family separation and how these threats may increase women’s HIV risk by encouraging them to hide their drug use, avoid social services and health care and/or participate in criminalized behaviors that result in incarceration. Lastly, the stories in “The Knock” further fuel my support for decriminalization of drug use. I envision a future where there are alternatives to carceral punishment for people who use drugs.