‘John’ lives in the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver. He’s prescribed hydromorphone, but doesn’t ingest it anymore because it’s not strong enough to get him high or stave off withdrawal, he tells Azar in a taped interview that obscures his identity.
John collects the hydromorphone pills until he has enough ‘dillies’ to sell to buy fentanyl. His dealer gives him $1.50 each, then resells them on a nearby First Nation reserve for $25, according to John.
“A lot of the [reserves] are dry. These [pills] are gold.”
Asked by Azar where he thinks the pills are going, John acknowledged the probable damage they’re causing.
“I’m sure it’s serving as a gateway to a lot of newbies, a lot of young folks, like Oxy’s were to me. I’m sure they’re just beefing up people’s [cravings] to the point where one day dillies aren’t enough and they have to take that step and do something a little bit harder, a little bit stronger.”