Safe drug supply program still not reaching enough people in B.C., say advocates

published on March 26, 2021 by Rafferty Baker in CBC News

It’s been a year since the province rushed to create new guidelines allowing doctors to prescribe hydromorphone to patients with opioid use disorders, as a way to give them an alternative to toxic illicit drugs.

The change came as the COVID-19 pandemic began to take a significant toll in the province. Combined with the overdose crisis dating back to 2016, health officials had two major public health emergencies on their hands.

But now, as overdose deaths continue to rise, killing more than five people in the province each day according to the latest BC Coroners Service update, many are identifying shortfalls in the so called ‘safe supply’ program — technically called the Risk Mitigation Guidance — that kicked off last March.

“This opioid epidemic has really been, I would say, one of the worst public health disasters in the history of our country,” said Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart on Thursday. “It’s nowhere near where it needs to be.”…