CERB fuelling substance abuse, too

Vulnerable people need different support, says Raina Gagnon.

As an addictions counsellor at the Centretown Pharmacy, I have noticed a reoccurring trend. Most of my patients use social services as a means to survive. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Canada has tried to cushion the blow of financial instability. But in the case of those who receive social assistance, it’s a different story.

For the majority of my patients, the introduction of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), which provides $2,000 a month for up to four months for people who lose their income as a result of the pandemic, has been reckless at best.

For some, it’s been deadly. At Centretown, we run a harm-reduction approach. Partnered with Ottawa Public Health, we hand out clean syringes and inhalation gear. We are the busiest pharmacy in the Centretown catchment, and have noticed a significant increase in people using our program.

While it is excellent people are using clean supplies, it is a reflection of the increase in use. I have witnessed otherwise stable patients hit a hard stop in their recovery; some have been admitted to the hospital for bacterial infections associated with an increase in IV drug use. Some have been much less fortunate.

The unusual influx of money into the hands of those who are not habituated to it has resulted in a much higher use of drugs, and a substantial increase in drug overdoses and related deaths. Drug culture is surging and, as a result, supply is insufficient to meet demand. Paired with the introduction of “orange” fentanyl into the Ottawa area, which is changing the game yet again from the “purple days,” folks are hard-pressed to stand a chance.

The simplicity of the universal CERB application process, though wellintended, is flawed in that it is relatively easy to receive money that one is not eligible for through a series of simple questions. It has failed to take into account some of this country’s most vulnerable sectors and, as a result, we will be forced to deal with the aftermath of this situation for years to come.

This global pandemic has devastated our world in a matter of months, but it also seems to have overshadowed the ongoing epidemic that we face: mental health and addiction. Mental health problems, concurrent disorders, and substance misuse are not issues that are going anywhere any time soon.

Coupled with isolation, stigma, and financial windfall, we will long be held accountable for picking up the pieces. This begs the question: if we are able to dispense such a large sum of money so rapidly when required, why is the first cut always to social services?

With the CERB benefit extended to October, we must urge the government to put policies in place to limit its accessibility to those who are vulnerable and ineligible but still receiving it.

I like to say, “there are no problems, only solutions.” To that effect, I ask you to consider that those who are suffering from substance abuse disorders, including our sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, and friends, are worthy of compassion during this time when our general lack of foresight has exacerbated the issue with which they struggle. We are one people. It is in our humanity to demand no one gets left behind.

Raina Gagnon is an addictions counsellor at Centretown Pharmacy.