Editor, The News: I firmly agree with Larry Campbell's statement that "crime rates drop and addicts become more stable when [they receive] heroin from a doctor instead of a dealer or pimp" (Campbell, Boyd, & Culbert, 2009, p. 127). Dr. Martin Schechter of the University of British Columbia, provided Vancouver addicts with the first opportunity to receive medical-grade heroin administered by a doctor after he brought NAOMI (North American Opiate Medication Initiative) to life. He demonstrated that once people were stabilized by these treatments, they were "very orderly" (Campbell et al., 2009, p. 229). [continues 662 words]
The tide is turning on harm reduction. The reins of a new national drug strategy are squarely in the hands of Health Canada. There are positive signs legislators are abandoning ideology for evidence-based policy, and stonewalling for action. Last year, the opioid crisis claimed 916 lives in B.C. alone. The momentum for supervised injection sites builds on other initiatives, including methadone treatment and a growing network of needle-exchange programs, officially around since 1989. Harm reduction measures help decrease health risks for drug users at all stages of addiction and recovery. Measurable outcomes include reduced transmission of HIV and hepatitis C through needle sharing, fewer overdose deaths and greater access to addiction recovery supports. [continues 454 words]
When Ottawa recently announced a multi-pronged strategy to fight the deadly fentanyl crisis - a strategy that includes supervised drug consumption sites - Health Minister Jane Philpott boasted of "our renewed, evidence-based approach to Canada's drug strategy." If Ottawa is so keen on an evidence-based approach to drugs, why did it walk away from mediation aimed at settling a lawsuit calling on the government to provide needle exchanges in prisons? Mediation sessions were scheduled this week but Ottawa's lawyers backed out at the last minute. The lawsuit, brought in part by a former inmate who acquired hepatitis C behind bars, is going forward. [continues 348 words]
Like most of small town America, Southern Indiana was unprepared for the opioid crisis. That's what Sam Quinones said, who is an expert on the roots of America's heroin and prescription drug crisis. "It's bad all over the country, but I would say it's probably particularly unkempt in areas such as Southern Indiana," he said. Smaller towns "never had to deal with the issues that come along with opiate addiction like how hard it is to kick, all the ancillary effects of having an addict in the family, aE& the lying, the destruction of family savings." [continues 820 words]
One woman relied on old needles used by her friend's diabetic husband. Another settled for whatever syringes she could find. But for the first time since they started using drugs several years ago, both women have access to fresh syringes. They are getting them through a needle exchange in Frankfort. "If you can have a new one every time, why wouldn't you?" asked the younger of the two women, who both spoke to the CJ on condition of anonymity for fear of being stigmatized or getting fired. "I think it's awesome that they're doing this. [continues 1730 words]
Poll reveals few in Saskatoon back plan lauded by advocates Jason Mercredi and other addictions workers who deal with the effects of unsupervised drug use say a safe injection site would bring many benefits to Saskatoon. A facility where users can inject drugs safely would not only reduce the risk of overdoses, but cut the province's "unprecedented" HIV rate and reduce the burden on the provincial health-care system, AIDS Saskatoon's interim executive director said. "The reality is we need to adopt best practice, and B.C. has shown that best practice is a safe consumption site," Mercredi said, referring to the two precedent-setting safe injection clinics in Vancouver. [continues 557 words]
Helping addicts heal is noble, but let's not ignore safety concerns From the look of things, Ottawa is going to get a supervised-injection site whether we like it or not. With a supportive federal government planning legislation to speed up the process for injection sites and the Ontario government backing a Sandy Hill proposal - in spite of the objections of Mayor Jim Watson and police Chief Charles Bordeleau - the die is cast. A supervised-injection site may, or may not, be what the city needs, but we should not let the federal and provincial governments drive the issue. The city's medical officer of health, Dr. Isra Levy, once noted that Ottawa may actually need more than one site, and if this is where we are headed, we owe ourselves a full debate on the merits and potential risks associated with such a controversial project. [continues 538 words]
One of the most important and pressing challenges of 2017 will be Canada's response to opioid addiction. The sheer scale of overdoses from heroin and other opioids has already led British Columbia to declare a public health emergency, and the crisis is sweeping east. Fentanyl has washed over the West Coast like a deadly tsunami. The synthetic opioid can be up to 100 times more potent than morphine. It's not just hardened addicts who are dying. Overdose deaths have spiked among occasional drug users, with fentanyl detected in street drugs ranging from heroin to marijuana. [continues 521 words]
