It will be a "huge challenge" to get Saskatchewan ready for the expected July 1 legalization of marijuana, Attorney General Don Morgan says. "We will have to introduce legislation at some point during the fall session so it can be voted (on) in the spring. So for us to get the information out of the survey, announce to the public 'this is what we're hearing' so that people know this is the consensus we're getting from the province, and then get legislation in and workable, is going to be a real challenge." [continues 378 words]
Providing take-home naloxone kits to Saskatchewan federal inmates is a "step in the right direction," addictions expert Dr. Peter Butt said. "Not only is it evidence-based, but it's directed towards the safety of individuals and communities so that we have hopefully fewer opioid overdoses occurring within a population that's already been identified as vulnerable," he said. Naloxone is a drug that can stop an overdose from opioids such as fentanyl, morphine, heroin, methadone and oxycodone. The kits are available in certain pharmacies in Saskatoon, Regina, North Battleford, Prince Albert, Yorkton and Kamsack, according to the Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan. [continues 288 words]
The era of legal weed will require broad investments in public health, according to the Saskatchewan Medical Association. Legislation alone is inadequate, president Dr. Intheran Pillay said. "I think expanding the access to support services such as mental health and substance use services would be important. I think it would be important to expand access to training programs in addiction medicine and I think it's important to make extensive educational resources on the risks of harm to youth and others available, as well." [continues 213 words]
Saskatoon Tribal Council wants to study establishing a location in city The chief of the Saskatoon Tribal Council wants to investigate the merits of a safe injection site in the city. "We haven't determined whether or not there should be one here yet. My standpoint is we need to look at the facts and the data and make an informed decision," Felix Thomas said. The new Liberal federal government appears more friendly to the concept than its Conservative predecessor - last month, Health Canada granted a four-year exemption from federal drug laws for Vancouver's Insite. [continues 585 words]
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan has added naloxone and buprenorphine to its methadone treatment guidelines. It's a recognition of alternate drugs that are used to cope with opioid dependency, associate registrar Bryan Salte said. The college introduced a new, more thorough 102-page set of guidelines last year based on Alberta's model. The guidelines help physicians who prescribe methadone - and now the new drugs - to patients with opioid addictions. They spell out how to write prescriptions, assess potential patients and determine proper dosage as well as when to let patients take doses home and when to halt treatment. [continues 64 words]
Distribution of kits encouraged to help deal with opioid overdoses The College of Physicians and Surgeons council has given its blessing for doctors to prescribe naloxone to people other than the drug users who need it. "This could be parents; it could be other family members; it could be associates; it could be shelters or police detention," said addictions specialist Peter Butt. He's overseeing a pilot project to distribute naloxone kits and had asked the college for its support. "It's not unregulated in any way, but rather is part of an integrated approach to preventing opioid overdose deaths." [continues 168 words]
An addictions specialist wants Saskatchewan doctors to be able to prescribe naloxone to family and agencies close to the patients who need the life-saving drug. "In order to be in-line with the evidence and actually to be more effective in terms of treating opioid overdoses and preventing overdose deaths, we would like to be able to prescribe it to people associated with users in a more evidence-based and practical approach," Dr. Peter Butt said. He has asked the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan to support the idea, which the college will consider at its Friday meeting. This would allow doctors, and perhaps nurse practitioners, to prescribe with a clear conscience, Butt said. [continues 339 words]
Coun. Darren Hill says he has learned more than he ever knew existed about Canada's medical marijuana laws. "Not only the dispensary component, but what it does for particular heath issues and its implications within the community, it's quite an eye-opener, actually," he said on Tuesday. Hill is the chair of the planning and development committee, which heard from CanniMed president Brent Zettl. CanniMed is the province's only licensed medical cannabis producer. Zettl took issue with what he said were inaccuracies in an earlier presentation to council from Mark Hauk, founder of the Saskatchewan Compassion Club. [continues 303 words]
