More needs to be done for opioid crisis

When I sat down to write this column this month, I knew that the topic had to be the issue on everyone’s minds. The issue that is generating news pieces, letters to the editor, emails to my office, protests and rallies, new action groups, and many a conversation. I am speaking, of course, about the opioid crisis.

In my personal life and as an elected representative, I endeavour to always base my decisions on evidence and compassion; what is true, and what is right. The evidence is that drug addiction is a medical issue. The evidence is that safe consumption sites don’t lead to new drug users, but they do keep drug users alive long enough to potentially access help. If you have been following the news, you have heard all this before.

You have also heard that since the supervised consumption site opened, hundreds of overdoses have been avoided, hundreds of people have been connected to wraparound services, and thousands of needles have been safely kept off the streets. This is where evidence and compassion meet. People with drug addictions are, first and foremost, people. They are people who need help, and a compassionate society works to provide this.

In Lethbridge, the police, emergency services and frontline workers were united in asking for harm-reduction strategies, including a supervised consumption site. When the people who know the most about the issue are all speaking with one voice, I am going to listen. I am going to support their work.

The supervised consumption site is not, however, a cure-all. That’s why the government announced more needle collection programs this week. We still have a community health-care crisis, and the needles on the ground are perhaps the most visible indicator. In the long term, the best way to get rid of the needles is to do preventative work on the issues that lead into drug addiction, and through providing stable and predictable funding to the health care system. In the shortterm, ARCHES and the City of Lethbridge are doing critical work to clean up needles every day. They have teams who patrol specific areas, and they are running a hotline (403-3320722) so that if you find a needle, you can report it for their collection and disposal.

I have heard in my office from many people who are concerned. I have heard from people who have had frightening experiences with drug debris, and I have heard from people who have lost loved ones to addiction. I have heard that this is a community crisis that touches all of our lives.

What I have heard most clearly is that we need to do more.

Last week I announced additional funding for Lethbridge to respond to the crisis. We are expanding the safe consumption site, which will reduce wait lines and encourage more people to consume within the site instead of out in public. We are also providing additional funds to enhance the needle collection program.

And we still need to do more. The City of Lethbridge has been advocating strongly for increased detox beds, for an intox site, and for housing and mental health supports. We are working on that. I am proud to work in partnership with a mayor and city council who are dedicated to compassion and evidence. I am happy to take direction from Lethbridge Police, emergency services and front-line workers, and like them, I’m in full support of the work ARCHES is doing, and in the strong leadership of executive director Stacey Bourke.

We cannot ignore a crisis that is killing approximately two Albertans every day. These are our neighbours, family members, friends, community members. This is a health-care crisis that affects everyone, and we have a social responsibility to help in the ways that will be the most effective.

You can contact my office at 403-3294644 or lethbridge.west@assembly.ab.ca.