Harm reduction must be part of the discussion

Previous addiction strategies simply haven’t worked, Dr. Karen Grimsrud writes.

Re. “Support services key to safe injection sites,” Opinion, Feb. 18

The rising number of Albertans dying from opioid overdoses is a significant public health crisis that is not going away soon.

Working with a wide range of partners, including law enforcement, we have taken a number of steps to help address this challenge.

These steps include immediate actions to help decrease the number of persons dying from overdoses along with longer-term approaches that address mental health and addictions.

It is now widely accepted that previous approaches to addictions that focus solely on modifying individual behaviour were not effective at eliminating the risks associated with drug use.

Instead, we need a comprehensive approach that includes prevention, treatment, enforcement, harm reduction, and monitoring.

Supervised consumption services are one part of a range of evidence-based services that support prevention, harm reduction and treatment for individuals living with substance use challenges.

These services provide a hygienic environment where individuals are able to use drugs under the supervision of trained staff. International research has found that these supervised consumption services can have tremendous benefits, both to individuals and communities, including: Reducing overdose deaths Reducing the spread of communicable disease

Increasing use of addiction treatment services

Connecting people who use drugs with other health, social and treatment services

Reducing drug use in public places

Reducing discarded needles in the community

Evidence also shows that supervised consumption services are cost effective, do not attract more people who use drugs into the community, and do not contribute to more crime.

Supervised consumption services are not immediately available in Alberta because providing legally sanctioned services requires an exemption under Section 56 of the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

Even when exemptions are received, supervised consumption services will not, on their own, eliminate the risk and impacts of drug use. They are, however, an important addition to a broader, comprehensive drug strategy — a pragmatic approach that minimizes the harm of drug use while recognizing the fact that many people who use drugs are unwilling or unable to stop using them.

In Alberta, it will be important to ensure there is a fulsome consultation process during the development and implementation of these services, and there will need to be a comprehensive evaluation component.

I agree with Edmonton Police Service Chief Rod Knecht that supervised consumption services should have ‘wraparound’ services available. Given the rising number of opioid-related deaths, we must move quickly to save as many lives as possible.

Alberta is facing a public health crisis that is complex and rooted in a multitude of social determinants of health. Our response, therefore, also needs to be multi-faceted and include a variety of interventions — including wellplanned supervised consumption services — all based on the recognition that a harm reduction approach is our most effective tool for preventing further overdose deaths and addressing problem substance use in our society over the long term.

Alberta is facing a public health crisis that is complex and rooted in a multitude of social determinants of health. Our response, therefore, also needs to be multi-faceted and include a variety of interventions.