Pubdate: Mon, 11 Apr 2016 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Page: A2 Copyright: 2016 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor.html Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Otiena Ellwand Cited: mumsDU: http://www.mumsdu.com/ EDMONTON MOTHER HEADS TO NEW YORK FOR UN SUMMIT ON DRUGS An Edmonton mother is part of a Canadian contingent attending a global drug policy summit at the United Nations headquarters in New York next week to urge governments to forego the "war on drugs" and embrace harm reduction. The harm reduction approach promotes policies and programs that support and reduce the risks and dangers drug users face, rather than prohibiting the drug itself and punishing users. Lorna Thomas's 24-year-old son, Alex Thomas-Haug, died by suicide in 2012. Thomas-Haug was a welder and snowboarder who suffered from depression. His mother later found out he'd also been using cocaine. "I have no way of ever knowing, but my guess is that his drug use contributed to his death, either because the drugs made him hear voices of self-harm or he felt the stigma of being a drug user," said Thomas, who is a member of the Canada-wide coalition mumsDU, or Mothers United and Mandated to Save the Lives of Drug Users. Thomas is adding her voice to the chorus of parents and family members from around the world seeking an end to punitive drug laws and prohibition at the UN General Assembly special session on drugs, which is being held for the first time since 1998, from April 19 to 21. Unlike the summit's 1998 focus, highlighted by its sunny slogan - A Drug-free World, We Can Do It (an aim they hoped to achieve by 2008) - - some governments, including Canada, are expected to take a more progressive position. The Liberal government has been open about its support of harm reduction, supervised injection sites and legalizing and regulating marijuana. Closer to home, there has been a lot of discussion lately about establishing a supervised injection site in Edmonton and loosening the rules around take-home naloxone kits so they can be provided to opioid users without a prescription. Naloxone helps reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. "The fentanyl crisis in particular has scared people into the conversation of harm reduction," Thomas said. "The conversation is changing, people want to keep their children safe and prohibition has not worked. People use drugs and will continue to use drugs, so let's acknowledge that and make sure people stay safe." A recent report released by a commission of medical experts echoed those concerns. It said harsh drug control policies have actually contributed to the spread of infectious diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis C, increased the risk of death from overdose, and negatively affected marginalized communities through mass incarceration. The report from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the academic medical journal The Lancet called for the decriminalization of minor and non-violent drug use, policies that reduce violence and discrimination in policing drugs, increased access to medicines that reduce the risk of overdose deaths, and greater investments in health and social services for drug users. For Thomas, those changes are a no-brainer and she's hoping this time the UN and its member states will listen and react in kind. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D