Drugs are out there, and people are going to use them no matter where they get them from. They can get them from a dealer and risk their life with every dose, or they can get them from a pharmacy and not die. It’s that simple.
Access to safe supply has been far too limited to be effective. Doctors are prescribing it with numerous conditions and cutting patients off at any sign of diversion. This cautious approach is undermining the very purpose of safe supply.
The point of safe supply is to replace the toxic illicit drug supply with a pharmaceutical supply that doesn’t contain fentanyl. You don’t change a pool by pouring in a glass of water. And that’s effectively what safe supply has been so far—too inaccessible, too restricted, and not doing enough.
Imagine if it were your family member or friend struggling with addiction. Would you want them to risk their life with every dose of street drugs, or would you prefer they have access to a safe, regulated supply that keeps them alive? The answer is clear.
Conservatives want to eliminate safe supply, somehow thinking that people are safer with the toxic illicit market mystery drugs. They talk about recovery, but with their policies, people with substance use disorders won’t make it to recovery.
Safe supply keeps them alive and pushes them toward stabilization until they are in a place where they can recover. It’s time to expand access and make safe supply truly effective. Lives depend on it.
Improving Safe Supply
To make safe supply more effective, several strategies need to be implemented:
- Expand Access: Compensate pharmacies for witnessing doses and incentivize them to provide services to clients with opioid use disorder.
- Reduce Restrictions: Simplify the prescribing process by reducing stringent conditions and monitoring requirements.
- Increase the Number of Prescribers: Address the shortage of prescribers to meet the needs of people with substance use disorders. These patients are complex and often have underlying issues that led them to use drugs in the first place.
- Support Overworked Prescribers: Provide additional support and resources to prescribers who are currently overworked and stretched thin.
- Increase Pharmacist Support: Address the shortage of pharmacists in community pharmacies and ensure they are compensated for witnessing doses. This will help busy pharmacies continue to provide services to people with substance use disorders.
Success Stories of Safe Supply
Safe supply programs have shown promising results in various regions. For instance, in London, Ontario, participants in a safer supply program had fewer emergency room visits and hospital admissions after joining the program(1). This indicates that safe supply can significantly reduce the strain on healthcare systems and improve the well-being of individuals.
In Canada, safe supply programs have achieved a 94% retention rate, which is crucial for keeping people away from the dangerous street supply while still allowing them to manage their addiction(2). This high retention rate demonstrates the effectiveness of safe supply in providing a stable and safer alternative for those struggling with substance use disorders.
Conservatives will use the fact that drugs are scary to scare people, but the reality is that this is a public health condition. It can’t be solved while people are still using the toxic illicit mystery drug supply. We need to push for policies that expand and support safe supply programs, ensuring that those struggling with addiction have access to safe, regulated substances. This is not just about reducing harm—it’s about saving lives and giving people a chance to recover. Let’s advocate for a compassionate, evidence-based approach to drug policy that prioritizes health and safety over fear and stigma. Lives depend on it.
(1) https://www.statnews.com/2022/09/21/canada-giving-out-safer-opioids-to-stem-overdoses-will-u-s-follow/.
(2) https://www.inhsu.org/features/safe-supply-as-a-healthcare-intervention-for-people-who-use-drugs/.