Harm reduction
Educational session gives police another view on substance abuse
The dire consequences of substance abuse will continue to plague society as long as the disorder carries a negative stigma and those afflicted by it remain disconnected and fearful of authority, persecution and prosecution.
That was part of the message delivered at a Cape Breton Regional Municipality police commission board meeting on Tuesday in Sydney that was attended by many of the police service’s top ranking officers.
During the two-hour educational session, a team of professionals, including representatives from the Nova Scotia Health Authority and its Mental Health and Addictions department, spoke of the benefits of what they called a “harm reduction” strategy.
According to the Canadian Harm Reduction Network, such strategies “aim to reduce the negative health, social and economic consequences that may ensue from the use of legal and illegal psychoactive drugs, without necessarily reducing drug use”.
Laura Chapman, a health promotion and prevention specialist, said one of the first steps is to get away from terms such as “addiction” and “drug abuse.”
“The correct way to refer to it is as a substance abuse disorder, mild, moderate or severe, that recognizes it as a health condition — and we know it’s a chronic health condition because it affects the brain,” she said.
“It’s well-known now that there is a link between trauma and substance abuse, trauma precedes substance abuse, and there is a link between mental health and substance abuse — if you’re looking at a person (with a substance abuse disorder) the chances are that person has experienced trauma and there is a high likelihood that person has also suffered from a co-occurring mental health disorder.”
Christine Porter, executive director of the Ally Centre of Cape Breton (formerly the AIDS Coalition of Cape Breton), said harm reduction strategies help those with substance abuse disorder become more connected.
“Connectivity is a big part of addiction — and that’s what we do at the Ally Centre with our open door policy so that if people are feeling down and out they can connect with someone,” said Porter.
“People living with addictions are often pushed aside, and they’re not with their families or old friends so they need something or someone to connect with.”
Another member of the presenting team, Sharon MacKenzie, a manager with the mental health and addictions department, said everyone benefits from strategies that recognize substance abuse as a societal problem.
“Our message is not going out there and saying I do know about drug use that is happening and then just let it happen — it’s about determining how people who use drugs can stay safe, how we stay can safe, and how families can be less negatively affected by harmful drug use,” said MacKenzie.
During the meeting, the team presented the board of police commissioners with statistics showing that prevention measures cost far less than what it costs to treat associated harms. For example, they compared the roughly $10 it costs for a box of 100 syringes to the more than $1 million it would take to fund the treatment of a Hepatitis C patient over a lifetime.
Following the session, Chief Peter McIsaac of the Cape Breton Regional Police Service endorsed the presentation and its messages.
“It is my intention that as we move forward on this thing we’re going to try to get the health promotions people to do education for every one of our officers, right through all the ranks in all our sections,” said McIsaac.
“Everyone has to hear this information because it is important and it all goes toward the health and education and making our communities safer, so when we come across it we’re better able to deal with it.
“Unfortunately, drugs are a part of our community and every day we have interactions with people in our community who are addicted to drugs and that’s not all just about enforcement, it’s about treatment and education and taking them to the proper resources.”
CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke, who was also present at the commission meeting, called the harm reduction session “a good starting point.” He also said he was surprised to hear that only a handful of used needle drop boxes exist in a municipality where police are frequently called to pick up discarded and potentially dangerous used needles. Clarke also said the time has come to accept the reality of Cape Breton’s social economics.
“Part of our reality is affected by our economy and we see that in terms of its impact on our fellow citizens — drug use and its impact is widespread, so I think when it comes to stigma, we have to deal with that,” he said, adding that while he has also heard community concerns about people using methadone (used to wean people off heroin), it may also be time to address that situation head on.
“We have to get our heads around that this is a necessity, and that pushing it to the back streets doesn’t change the problem and, in fact, probably makes it worse for those trying to provide support.”