A recent visit to Vancouver found West Coast rapper Snoop Dogg not only performing a DJ set but critiquing the city's drug situation. A van ride through a local alley had him discussing needle-distribution programs, in relation to his problems crossing the U.S./Canada border.
Snoop's observations were made around the same time he performed at Vancouver's Fortune Sound Club on Sunday night (April 17). An Instagram post delivered the next day finds the rapper and his entourage driving through a Downtown Eastside alleyway. A blown-away Snoop reports that the pathway is filled with heroin users, and seemingly makes allusions to government-sponsored needle-distribution programs helping foster these conditions.
"I can't believe these motherfuckers be sweating us at the fucking border and they got an alley, they got an alley where they pass out needles for people to do heroin at," Snoop says in the video.
He adds: "You motherfuckers at customs, y'all ain't shit. And y'all be sweating me? And y'all got this shit going on in your fucking alleys? Y'all need to raise up off me Canada. Ya'll need to just walk me through and stop taking me back into that fucking customs office."
It's unclear if Snoop is against the idea of needle programs in general, but he did seem shaken by the sight of the alleyway.
"Clean this shit up out here," he says. "Y'all got an alley for the motherfuckers that y'all let do drugs. This is terrible, cuz. This is terrible."
The City of Vancouver officially sanctioned needle-distribution services in 1989. The initiative has been cited with drastically reducing infection rates of HIV, hepatitis C and other diseases by providing clean needles. The program is currently maintained by Vancouver Coastal Health.
Snoop's observations were made around the same time he performed at Vancouver's Fortune Sound Club on Sunday night (April 17). An Instagram post delivered the next day finds the rapper and his entourage driving through a Downtown Eastside alleyway. A blown-away Snoop reports that the pathway is filled with heroin users, and seemingly makes allusions to government-sponsored needle-distribution programs helping foster these conditions.
"I can't believe these motherfuckers be sweating us at the fucking border and they got an alley, they got an alley where they pass out needles for people to do heroin at," Snoop says in the video.
He adds: "You motherfuckers at customs, y'all ain't shit. And y'all be sweating me? And y'all got this shit going on in your fucking alleys? Y'all need to raise up off me Canada. Ya'll need to just walk me through and stop taking me back into that fucking customs office."
It's unclear if Snoop is against the idea of needle programs in general, but he did seem shaken by the sight of the alleyway.
"Clean this shit up out here," he says. "Y'all got an alley for the motherfuckers that y'all let do drugs. This is terrible, cuz. This is terrible."
The City of Vancouver officially sanctioned needle-distribution services in 1989. The initiative has been cited with drastically reducing infection rates of HIV, hepatitis C and other diseases by providing clean needles. The program is currently maintained by Vancouver Coastal Health.
