Philip Owen was the conservative mayor of Vancouver from 1993 to 2002. He originally opposed Bud Osborn and VANDU’s proposals to lighten punishments and provide public services for drug addicts. However, after meeting with addicts in Downtown Eastside and learning about their lives, Owen changed his mind. He gave VANDU members a public voice in his administration, became a vocal proponent of drug reform, and eventually even came out in favor of legalizing drugs. Owen’s transformation shows how politicians and the public can help create better drug policies if they choose to learn more about drugs and the people who use them.
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Philip Owen Character Timeline in Chasing the Scream
The timeline below shows where the character Philip Owen appears in Chasing the Scream. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 14: The Drug Addicts’ Uprising
...playgrounds, Osborn organized a patrol to clean them up. At the time, Vancouver’s conservative mayor, Philip Owen , wanted to lock up every drug addict and dealer, and the police simply ignored...
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...While city leaders knew they couldn’t dismiss addicts as irrelevant anymore, there was one holdout: Mayor Owen , who refused to change any drug policies. But eventually, Owen agreed to meet addicts—and...
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