Pubdate: Sat, 28 Nov 2015
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2015 Postmedia Network
Contact:  http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: James Wood
Page: A4

SAFE-INJECTION SITES NOT ON NDP RADAR FOR NOW

Health Minister Sarah Hoffman says safe-injection facilities aren't 
on the NDP government's agenda for now as it grapples with a crisis 
over the use of fentanyl, but she isn't ruling out the idea of 
allowing medically supervised drug consumption for addicts in the future.

New numbers from Alberta Health Services show there have been 213 
deaths associated with fentanyl in the first nine months of this 
year, with the situation prompting Liberal Leader David Swann to call 
on the NDP government to declare a public health emergency and 
consider opening safe-injection sites.

In an interview Thursday at an NDP fundraiser in Calgary, Hoffman 
questioned the value of safe-injection sites in the current 
circumstances, saying most fentanyl abusers take the drug orally. But 
she acknowledged there are other options that could be looked at.

"Supervised sites are one of the ways you can explore harm reduction. 
I don't know if it would at this point specifically help with the 
fentanyl situation. Maybe safe consumption in some ways or having 
supervised consumption, certainly, is one of the pieces," she said.

Hoffman has rejected Swann's call for a public health emergency 
around fentanyl - a powerful drug considered 100-times more toxic 
than morphine or heroin - saying it would not help the current situation,

The government's strategy around fentanyl includes the distribution 
of kits of naloxone, a lifesaving antidote that reverses the effects 
of fentanyl overdoses; increased public education; beefing up access 
to recovery centres and targeted law enforcement, she said.

But Swann said Hoffman should signal the government is open to 
safe-injection sites.

He said there are fentanyl users in Alberta who are melting the drug 
and injecting it, adding that the practice is increasingly common in 
jurisdictions such as Ontario.

Heroin and other opioids commonly injected by needles are also being 
used in the province, Swann added.

"It relates to all injection drug use. If you don't have safe needles 
and clean gear, you're going to get sick and die very quickly."

In a statement, AHS said it did not have information on the 
prevalence of fentanyl as an injection drug.

"What we do know is that fentanyl can be hidden in any drug, and as 
little as the equivalent to one grain of salt can kill the user. 
Because we know that fentanyl may be hiding in many different types 
of drugs - injectable and oral - we are tracking ... several 
categories of drug poisonings," AHS spokesman Bruce Conway said in an email.

AHS statistics show there were 1,173 emergency room visits due to 
poisoning by opioids in the first nine months of 2015.

While Hoffman is not currently considering the creation of supervised 
injection sites, she said the federal government should loosen the 
rules around the facilities.

Under a law passed by the former Conservative government, Ottawa must 
approve a supervised-injection site before it can go ahead.

Proponents of supervised injection sites, where intravenous drug 
users can inject themselves with illegal substances under supervision 
of nurses and other health care staff, say they offer a clean and 
safe location that can help direct addicts to treatment.

Hoffman said any facility that allowed medical supervision of drug 
use would require extensive consultation, "but harm reduction is part 
of our philosophy as a government."

"The research is really clear that when you have opportunities for 
people to reduce harm in their lives, it enables a whole plethora of 
other options, but abstinence-only programs don't seem to be working 
and I know that there's been a lot of strides in other jurisdictions 
. and I hope our federal government will enable us to do that here as 
well," she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom