Reducing the Harm

“It’s a little after 10 o’clock in the morning and Taylor feels like she’s climbing the walls. When her name is called and the door to Lethbridge’s supervised drug consumption site buzzes open, Taylor moves quickly on her crutches. She settles into a chair at the second booth from the end and rests her pink sequined backpack on the stainless steel counter. The petite 21-year-old works swiftly, loading a speedball—a combination of meth and fentanyl—into a syringe.”

Christina Frangou – Alberta Views – October 2018

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Life and How to Leave It

“A nurse wheeled in a cart topped with 10 needles, laid across a white sheet and set out in the order they were to be administered. Four had the circumference of a loonie. The smaller needles were filled with saline, to be pushed through McGrath’s IV after each medication to clear the tube and prevent adverse reactions. With the arrival of the cart, one of his daughters walked out into the hallway. She’d already told her dad that she did not want to witness what was about to transpire. ‘We’re making history,’ said one nurse to another, standing near the back of the room.”

Christina Frangou – Swerve – April 2017