As co-chair of the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association's opioid poisoning committee, Salvalaggio is part of a group advocating for the urgent expansion of new overdose prevention sites in all of Alberta's major cities and broader access to a safer drug supply to tackle the current crisis — and she said longer-term, decriminalization needs to remain part of the conversation.
"The drug supply that is currently circulating is, if anything, just getting from bad to worse, and that's not going to get solved by trying to take what's currently on the street off," Salvalaggio added. "So we need a much more comprehensive approach."
According to Buckley, the physician from CAMH, curbing the overdose crisis in both the short and long term requires a slate of tactics — including decriminalizing drugs, improving access to a safer drug supply and addiction treatments, and educating Canadians on the potential harms of drug use.