Pubdate: Fri, 18 Nov 2016
Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB)
Copyright: 2016 The Edmonton Journal
Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134
Author: Rita Notarandrea
Page: A12

CANADA AT A CROSSROADS ON ADDICTION

It's time for systemic changes, writes Rita Notarandrea.

With a crisis swirling, Canada is at a crossroads.

Opioid use across the country has reached extremely dangerous levels.
Canada is the second largest per capita consumer of opioids worldwide,
and as a direct result provincial health-care systems are dealing with
unprecedented numbers of overdoses and deaths related to addiction.

If we are to learn anything from the opioid crisis, it is the need for
systemic changes to provide better care for people struggling with an
addiction. We need to refocus our efforts to provide the services and
resources they need - be it interventions such as harm reduction
services or proven treatment - to conquer their disease and make
strides toward recovery.

First, we have to recognize the barriers and critical gaps that
currently exist in properly treating addiction. Addiction to alcohol
and other drugs carries a stigma and is often perceived as a moral
failing, but we must acknowledge that an addiction is a health condition.

We must recognize that recovery is an attainable and sustainable
goal.

We must ensure the right supports and services, supported by
scientific evidence, are in place to effectively help people living
with addiction, and that these services are publicly funded, available
and accessible in a timely fashion.

And we must hold accountable those who are entrusted with delivering
addiction care to achieve the desired outcome. When someone struggling
with an addiction recognizes they need help and knocks on the door of
a treatment facility, they and their families need the assurances that
the right systems and programs, and qualified staff, are in place to
provide that person with the care and supports they need.

For many of us touched by addiction personally or in our work, the
call for a comprehensive approach to substance use in Canada has
already registered.

Collectively and collaboratively we are building a base of knowledge
and scientific evidence on the best approaches to addiction treatment
and support. The next step is forming social policy that supports
champion programs and services and builds capacity to address
problematic substance use and addiction.

We also need to ensure the paramedics, primary care professionals,
emergency room physicians, nurses and counsellors on the front lines
have the resources they need to make informed decisions and save lives.

On the spectrum of social change, addressing problematic substance use
and addiction is in the early stages, yet in the last few months a
unique coalition of treatment and harm reduction advocates, academia,
public health, enforcement, education and all levels of government
have taken significant strides to move the dial forward and focus on
this public health concern.

The National Research Agenda on Cannabis meeting in October brought
together international and domestic experts to identify the research
gaps and forge a path forward in advance of marijuana legalization. On
the same day in Toronto, an exploration of substance use as a barrier
to healthy aging among older adults was launched. A week later,
Montreal hosted the Canadian and International Association of
Addiction Medicine annual meeting and scientific conference bringing
attention to the latest issues in addiction medicine and evidence.

Each of these collaborative efforts is pushing the evidence agenda
forward and defining a roadmap for the future of treating problematic
substance use. By co-ordinating diverse perspectives, we can make
sense of the complicated and complex issue of addiction to achieve
clarity and align our efforts to inform a long-term problematic
substance use and addiction strategy.

And while we are right to celebrate our progress, we also recognize
the long road ahead to get to a place where problematic substance use
receives the same level of attention, compassion and investment as any
other critical public health issue and a response that is no different
than that provided to someone suffering with a physical condition.

Rita Notarandrea is CEO of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse in 
Ottawa, Canada's national agency with the legislated mandate to reduce 
the harms of alcohol and other drugs on Canadian society.
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MAP posted-by: Matt