Pubdate: Thu, 29 Dec 2016
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2016 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Andrea Woo
Page: S1

B.C. RESIDENTS CONCERNED BY DRUG CRISIS

Survey finds British Columbians possess desire for action and are also
willing to consider radical options for addiction treatment

British Columbians are deeply concerned about the overdose crisis and want
to see improved access to addiction treatment - but, faced with an
unprecedented number of drug deaths in the province, they're also willing
to consider more radical options such as the legalization of hard drugs.

Those are some of the findings of a new survey by the Mustel Group,
conducted for the InnerChange Foundation, a Vancouver-based non-profit
that supports research in mental health and addiction. The survey provides
a snapshot of provincial attitudes on substance-use disorder, and which
initiatives people are willing to support amid the province's worst
overdose crisis on record. It's expected that more than 800 people will
have died of illicit drug overdoses by year's end; health and justice
officials, politicians and activists have called for a broad range of
remedies from increasing the number of treatment beds to legalization.

InnerChange chair Marco Romero says the survey shows British Columbians
possess high levels of awareness, concern and desire for action.

"I was heartened by the level of awareness and support for better, and
more, services," he said.

The survey found that 84 per cent of respondents are either moderately or
extremely concerned about the fentanyl-driven overdose crisis - and 87 per
cent considered, as either a medium or high priority, developing or
adjusting regulations and programs to address it.

Three-quarters supported this approach even if it meant healthcare costs
would go up. The City of Vancouver recently approved an additional
0.5-per-cent property tax to help fund its response to the overdose
crisis; the additional $3.5-million a year is earmarked for initiatives
such as substance-abuse education for youth, additional staff for overdose
management and a new medic unit for the city's Downtown Eastside fire
hall.

The telephone survey of 500 British Columbians, selected from a panel
generated through a random sample, was conducted in late November.

Of various services proposed, improved access to addiction treatment such
as drug counselling and psychosocial care received the most backing, with
93 per cent of respondents supporting it.

But nearly two-thirds of respondents were also willing to consider the
more contentious option of legalizing drugs beyond marijuana, a move that
would disrupt the illicit drug market and flow of fentanyl through it. Of
this 63 per cent, a quarter were completely in favour of the approach, and
about a third said they could be convinced with more information on its
risks and benefits. A further 17 per cent surveyed were not currently
willing, but were interested in learning more.

The support is notable given the urgent calls for expanded treatment
options during the overdose crisis. Heroin-assisted treatment (HAT), for
example, is a proven second-line option for people who have failed
repeatedly at traditional treatments such as methadone and suboxone -
between 5 per cent and 10 per cent of the total population on substitution
therapy. Studies in both Canada and Europe have shown that those on HAT
reported improved health and social reintegration and reduced illicit drug
use and criminal activity.

About 85 people are currently on HAT at Vancouver's Crosstown Clinic, but
regulatory hurdles prevent physicians from expanding the program, which
B.C.'s Health Minister and Provincial Health Officer, and Vancouver's
mayor, have all praised.

Mr. Romero said the survey provides compelling evidence that British
Columbians are generally open-minded about adopting new approaches to
resolve the province's worsening overdose crisis.

"Faced with the realization that drug addiction is firmly entrenched in
Canada, and that it can affect virtually anyone, our society's knowledge
and attitude have considerably evolved in recent years," he said. "Most of
us now understand that addiction is a disease and that criminalization and
prohibition have done very little to cure it."

As well, three-quarters of respondents (77 per cent) supported improved
access to opioid substitution therapy and 60 per cent supported more
supervised injection sites.

Among the survey's other findings: 85 per cent of respondents believe
addiction is a disease but there are elements of choice for people who
face addiction. One in five reported direct experience with addiction, a
figure on par with the number of Canadians who experience mental health
problems in any given year. The number increases when including extended
family or friends, with roughly two in five (41 per cent) saying they knew
someone who had struggled with an addiction to illicit drugs.

"I was a little surprised at the extent to which people were personally
touched," said InnerChange executive director Laura Tate. "That, to me,
perhaps explains what the level of awareness is triggered by, or what
helps raise that level of awareness."
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