Canadian Press - Advocates fear of worsening overdose crisis in 2021, want national safe supply

[Joey]

VANCOUVER — With overdose deaths rising across Canada, advocates for drug users are calling for the implementation of a national safe supply program as part of an effort to save lives.


Failing to do so, they say, will lead to more deaths from overdoses across the country.

A public health emergency was declared in 2016, a year that saw 991 deaths. More than 1,500 people have died in British Columbia from illicit drug overdoses in 2020.

Ontario's chief coroner's office estimates 50 to 80 people per week are dying of overdoses.

British Columbia's government created a safe supply program in March, allowing doctors and nurses to prescribe pharmaceutical alternatives to illicit drugs.

Advocates share fear of worsening overdose crisis in 2021, want national safe supply

VANCOUVER — With overdose deaths rising across Canada, advocates for drug users are calling for the implementation of a national safe supply program as part of…

nationalpost.com

 

[Joey]

Last month, Vancouver council voted unanimously to ask the federal government to decriminalize small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use.

Our government and people are seriously headed in the right direction in Canada. I sincerely believe the next few years decriminalization and safe supply and more resources for addictions will become a real big thing.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Is there any information at all on what proportion of OD deaths over the last five years has been attributed to non-contaminated drugs?


I ask because for me, personally, as a drug user, contamination with fentanyl is my primary concern. All of my crew and relations do non-opioid drugs but we're shook because we're always seeing fentanyl-contaminated supply of things such as MDMA and coke going around and hear stories of acquaintances dying.

Would a safe supply of opioids also keep the rest of us safe? Or would that take some time?

I'm honestly sometimes worried about the attention paid to opioid users over all the rest of us. (Never mind the lack of seriously addressing the true nature of alcohol).

I mean, just check the wording of that article:

With overdose deaths rising across Canada, advocates for drug users are calling for the implementation of a national safe supply program as part of an effort to save lives.

British Columbia’s government created a safe supply program in March, allowing doctors and nurses to prescribe pharmaceutical alternatives to illicit drugs.

That's very general wording when we know the issue that is specifically being dealt with is opioid use.
No one's clamouring for safe cocaine supply.
Safe MDMA.

Know what I'm saying?

 

[S.J.B.]

I'm honestly sometimes worried about the attention paid to opioid users over all the rest of us.

...

That's very general wording when we know the issue that is specifically being dealt with is opioid use.
No one's clamouring for safe cocaine supply.
Safe MDMA.

I don't have the Canadian numbers on hand, but if you look at any set of numbers from around the world where all drugs found in the blood are reported (e.g. data from Scotland), the vast majority of drug poisoning deaths are from people having consumed multiple substances with at least one of them being an opioid. The focus on opioid users is reasonable because those are the people who are actually dying. A few non-opioid users have likely died because of fentanyl adulteration of non-opioid drugs but I can't imagine it's a significant portion of the total deaths.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Yeah, that's fair enough but I don't see why we should ignore all other drugs users.

I know two people in their 20s who have died in the last year from fentanyl-contaminated drug use. It's a tragedy all around.

By all means, we have to start somewhere, but ignoring non-opioid drug users isn't going to solve the issue either.

 

[S.J.B.]

Yeah, that's fair enough but I don't see why we should ignore all other drugs users.

I know two people in their 20s who have died in the last year from fentanyl-contaminated drug use. It's a tragedy all around.

By all means, we have to start somewhere, but ignoring non-opioid drug users isn't going to solve the issue either.

Yeah, ideally all drug users would have access to a safe supply, no arguing with that.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Yeah, ideally all drug users would have access to a safe supply, no arguing with that.

It's gotten so bad that I'm worried about using the MDMA I have stockpiled even though I've run every reagent test known to man, fentanyl test, and a purity test and it all comes up looking super legit.

I guess having people I know die has shook me right up.