Provincial Health Officer Recommends Expanding Alternatives To Toxic, Unregulated Drug Supply

British Columbia’s provincial health officer has issued followup recommendations in a report to government in response to the toxic-drug crisis.

“More than 14,000 people have died of drug poisoning in B.C. since the public-health emergency was declared almost a decade ago in 2016,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry.

“For some, a safer alternative to unregulated drugs could have been the right support. We owe it to those affected, to those lost, and those who love and miss them to explore what might be possible to help save lives and reduce harms from unregulated drugs.”

The report discusses the unregulated-drug emergency and focuses on what Dr. Bonnie Henry says is one intervention of the many needed: enabling access to alternatives to a safer supply.

The report recommends exploring implementation of non-prescribed alternatives to the unregulated drug supply that is taking hundreds of lives each year in the province.

This follows recent recommendations announced in February to improve and expand access to prescribed alternatives.

The province has already said it doesn’t agree with the move and won’t be following through on the recommendations.

To see the full release, visit Government of British Columbia.