Advocates say provincial policies moving backward
Alberta leaders must address a toxic drug supply and boost evidence-based supports to reduce soaring overdose deaths, says a national drug policy expert.
Donald Macpherson, executive director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, said the UCP government should immediately reverse course on its “narrow” addictions strategy, which is focused on abstinence-based treatment and recovery, towards a broader continuum of care based on the advice of public health experts.
“It is very disconcerting to see the Alberta government actually going backwards,” said Macpherson.
“It's unfair to the citizens of Alberta that on one health issue (COVID-19) they follow public health guidance and on the other they don't. It points to them taking a narrow ideological approach that will cause unnecessary deaths.”
His comments come days after the province released new data showing record-high overdose rates in Alberta. From April to June, 301 people died of accidental opioid overdoses compared to 148 from January to March.
Macpherson said a full range of addictions treatment, including harm-reduction services, needs to be scaled up for the long term.
He also called for an emergency response to Alberta's toxic drug supply, which includes naloxone distribution, supervised consumption services and safe supply programs — a move backed by the federal government and Canada's chief medical officer of health Dr. Theresa Tam.
Jason Luan, associate minister of mental health and addictions, previously told Postmedia the UCP government is “not entertaining any proposals using taxpayer money to buy drugs to sustain any form of addiction” on the topic of safe supply.
Luan's office declined to comment on whether a formal review of the report is underway and if any immediate steps will be taken to address rising overdose deaths.
Kasssandra Kitz, press secretary to Luan, instead listed already-announced government investments in mental health and addictions supports.
The UCP government has made considerable cuts to harm-reduction programs this year, including the closure of Lethbridge's only supervised consumption site, halting a phone-based supervised consumption program, and discontinuing funding to Injectable Opioid Agonist Treatment (IOAT) programs in Edmonton and Calgary — all of which Macpherson said are necessary components of a comprehensive strategy.
Dr. Katrina Milaney, an assistant professor at the University of Calgary whose research influenced the opening of Calgary's supervised consumption site, said there is a third piece to addressing the crisis: stigma.
“Tackling these really pragmatic issues around supports and services policy changes is one thing, but really unpacking the myths and misconceptions around addiction is a huge solution we should be working on,” said Milaney.
“The discourse from our government is really that if you are a person struggling with addiction then you just need to stop using. … It's not diabetes. You can't just take insulin and go on with your life.”
She said many people who use substances have a history with trauma, often in their childhood, that changes the physiology of their brain. Simply quitting is not an option for many of these Albertans.
It is not a funding question, funding is part of it, but it is really about bringing in all the players and patterns that need to be at the table to look at this as a holistic issue
Milaney said Premier Jason Kenney's government needs to acknowledge the crisis is “very complex.”
“It is not a funding question, funding is part of it, but it is really about bringing in all the players and patterns that need to be at the table to look at this as a holistic issue,” she said, adding Albertans need to hold their elected officials accountable.
Kenney addressed the latest report on opioid deaths, released Wednesday, for the first time on Friday.
He said increasing overdose deaths are being seen across Canada, and “early analysis” suggests the pandemic and public health restrictions disrupted the lives of many Albertans who struggle with addiction.