Dignified focus needed for B.C. toxic drug crisis, doctor says – GLOBAL
October 19, 2023
A British Columbia health expert says the province needs more overdose prevention sites and a renewed commitment to decriminalization as it tries to curb drug poisonings that kill six people a day.
Dr. Reka Gustafson, the chief medical health officer for Island Health, told about 300 addiction experts meeting in Victoria that drug treatment policies and programs must have the same status as any other health service.
Gustafson says dedicated cancer treatment facilities and anti-alcohol initiatives are proven measures and approaches that would benefit addiction treatment in B.C.
She says the province must do more to embrace overdose prevention sites as places that save lives and continue to support its decriminalization program despite the recent public debate about open drug use in public places.
Gustafson says health experts made a mistake during the pandemic telling people to isolate themselves in order to stop the spread of COVID-19, only to have overdose deaths spike.
Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/10036898/bc-overdose-dignified-focus/
