Addictions must be attacked

Re: “Opioid overdose calls hit record numbers,” Aug. 16. The tragic loss of too many Calgarians to opioid overdoses appears to reinforce the value and role of safe-use sites and naloxone-equipped first responders in our community’s response to this crisis.

However, safe-use sites and naloxone by themselves do not address the primary underlying cause of this crisis, the disease of addiction.

Our society needs to decide if we are willing to commit the necessary resources to treat that horrible disease, or if we are satisfied with just providing those afflicted a “safe way” to continue their disease.

It’s way past time for our policy-makers and healthcare system to do more than just address the symptom (overdoses) and robustly treat the disease of addiction. Brian Hahn, Calgary