Doctors Call For Safer Cocaine Supply

published on March 3, 2021 by Rachel Browne in VICE

As drug toxicity deaths and overdoses in Canada continue to soar to unprecedented levels due to the increasingly volatile illicit market, advocates and doctors are calling for more stimulants including cocaine to be part of safe supply efforts.

“I would welcome the inclusion of cocaine, as well as methamphetamine, frankly, in safe supply programs. This is something that is urgently needed due to the severe risks associated with the illicit stimulant supply,” said Ryan McNeil, who researches drug use and policy in Canada as director of Harm Reduction Research at the Yale University School of Medicine.

“However, we need to ensure that there are concrete plans as to how cocaine, and other criminalized drugs, will be sourced and made available. Otherwise, its inclusion is aspirational.”…