Whatever the specific cause, people are going to die today. And on and on. As the Citizen has long argued, these lives in most cases will not be taken by the drugs themselves. Most will be the result of the futile and destructive policy of drug prohibition. But it doesn't have to happen.
Governments make it happen.
What governments do, they can stop doing. Most Canadians support drug prohibition generally, but don't care for the gung-ho drug warrior approach that sells so well in the United States. Majorities of Canadians support medical marijuana, harm reduction measures such as needle exchanges, and the decriminalization of pot. This shows that most Canadians are ready to consider modest reforms to the status quo. That's a start.