Bud Osborn’s prose charges drug policy debates with deep revelations and compassion. As a long time poet and social activist living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Bud is a light for many. His evidence is wrapped in poetry that can only come from first hand experiences. He turns the suffering he sees into poignant words aimed at shattering the paradigm of prohibition.
At an epicenter of the war on drugs in Canada, the residents of the Downtown Eastside have long known the harms of prohibition. On September 22, 2012 the community gathered under a tent at Oppenheimer park for a day of open dialogue and discussion and food. After the acknowledgment and welcoming to Coast Salish Territory, Bud opened the day with this poem on the drug war and the story of the neighborhood. Please share this video and let his words inspire more discussion and change. Together we can build a future of collective self-determination and social justice.
