British Columbia is the first province in the country to roll out safe supply guidelines over concerns street drugs would become more toxic during the pandemic and more users would do drugs alone.
Advocates and drug policy researchers have praised the guidance as a good first step in tackling B.C.'s overdose crisis."When they have access to a more predictable supply of opioids or stimulants or benzodiazepines as the guidelines outline, folks are able to reduce or eliminate illegal activities," said Cheyenne Johnson, the co-interim executive director of the B.C. Centre on Substance Use.
So-called wraparound care is available in the larger city where access to health care and housing is linked, such as in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside where a drug user can see a medical professional who has ties to the building they live in. Zak Matieschyn, a nurse practitioner in Nelson and director of the addiction medicine nurse practitioner fellowship with the B.C. Centre on Substance Use, said he faces a struggle when determining dosages for patients who can live up to an hour away.
About 450 people are being prescribed legal pharmaceutical alternatives to illicit drugs across B.C., with 400 in the Vancouver area and at least 50 on Vancouver Island, say the health authorities for those districts.
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