Pubdate: Sat, 29 Oct 2016
Source: Medicine Hat News (CN AB)
Copyright: 2016 Alberta Newspaper Group, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.medicinehatnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1833
Author: Peggy Revell
Page: B9

PROVINCE'S MOVE TOWARD SAFE INJECTION SITES TO BE APPLAUDED

The provincial government's announcement Thursday of funding to
establish safe, supervised sites for opioid use is absolutely
commendable, but unfortunately also like closing the barn door after
the horse has bolted when it comes to the ever-growing crisis of
fentanyl and opioid addiction and deaths in Alberta.

 From January 2015 to the end of June this year there were 427 deaths
in Alberta associated with the highly-addictive and deadly opioid,
fentanyl. Of those, 21 were in the South Zone. The increase has been
dramatic, even spiralling.

That's not to say the province hasn't stuck its head in the
sand.

Since the launch of the take-home naloxone kit program began in July
2015, more than 6,018 kits have been given out and more than 408
overdose reversals have been reported back to AHS - as the medical
officer for the Calgary Zone told the Medicine Hat News earlier this
month, that's a "dramatic underestimate."

That's more than 400 times someone hasn't had to bury a loved
one.

Thursday's announcement also stated that the government would be
expanding access to opioid replacement therapy, and will work with
doctors to improve prescription drug monitoring. The province has also
funded new treatment spaces in the province this past year, yet the
average wait to access addiction-related residential treatment beds is
20 days in Alberta. Medicine Hat's own detox centre has a constant
wait list. The current funding levels simply aren't enough.

Addictions and mental health, poverty and disability issues are often
deeply intertwined - and yet there remains so many hurdles that keep
vulnerable people from getting the supports and treatment they need.
And where there's addictions, there's inevitably involvement with law
enforcement and the judicial system. The expansion of drug treatment
courts across the province, beyond Calgary and Edmonton, would be of
great benefit.

Like the take-home naloxone kits, it's easy to take a knee-jerk
reaction to the idea of safe, supervised sites for those with
addictions to use opioids, seeing them as dangerous, thinking they'll
encourage more drug use because the harm is reduced.

But if people with addictions had the ability to follow these sort of
logical solid cost-risk analysis assessments, well … they wouldn't be
addicts.

Evidence-based research shows that safe injection sites are a net
positive in reducing harm not just for addicts, but for the public
purse and communities - you don't even have to hold any compassion in
your heart for those with addictions to appreciate that.

An addict is going to try to get high, whether it's at a flophouse
that causes harm to a neighbourhood or a safe injection site where
they can at least have access to social, healthcare workers and other
supports that could maybe, just maybe help them go down a better path.
And there is always hope. There are people who still manage to live
day after day sober, despite having an addiction. They can't do it
alone.

It's absolutely frustrating that the evidence-based research done
around these sort of sites has been around for numerous years, and
it's only now that the death tolls pile up that more significant
action is being taken. It may save lives, but that does little to stem
the heartbreak over those whose lives have already been lost.
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MAP posted-by: Matt