“Faced with an overdose crisis that is killing thousands of people every year, Canada decided to embrace “safer supply,” a strategy that distributes free addictive drugs as an alternative to potentially tainted illicit substances. Yet the results have been disastrous and should serve as a cautionary tale for other jurisdictions.”
“The rationale behind safer supply is not actually unreasonable. Overdoses, infections and deaths often occur because addicts consume street drugs that have unpredictable doses and contaminants—so why not provide safer substances that are less likely to kill users until they are ready to seek treatment?”
“A responsible model of safer supply would provide these drugs on a temporary basis, under strict supervision and with clear recovery-oriented goals. High barriers to entry would be vital to ensure that safer supply is only given to people who have been repeatedly failed by other options, so as to not dissuade clients from seeking traditional addiction treatment.”
“Yet Canada’s model of safer supply takes the opposite approach and is profoundly reckless. (See Link below for more)”
