KFLA Board of Health calls for decriminalization, safe supply of drugs

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As the decision to decriminalize drug use grows throughout Canada, the Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Board of Well being voted unanimously to reaffirm its dedication to decriminalization and known as for entry to a secure provide of medication.

The movement was handed at Wednesday’s well being board assembly, following a dialogue on the current petition put ahead by the KFL&A group drug technique advisory committee that calls on the federal authorities to decriminalize the private use of medication.

Based on KFL&A medical officer of well being Dr. Piotr Oglaza, the decriminalization of drug use is a crucial side to allow people to hunt health-care providers and deal with the stigma surrounding drug use.

“(Decriminalization) is a key step to allow people to hunt assist, scale back stigma, give folks a greater probability of in search of significant employment housing — all of this stuff which might be shut all the way down to people with felony data,” he stated.

Whereas the board has beforehand voted to assist the decriminalization of drug use, Wednesday’s movement takes that assist one step additional, with the board calling for a secure provide of medication — one thing Oglaza stated is important to addressing the drug poisoning disaster.

The answer that Oglaza put ahead — which has acquired a lot assist from public well being and drug coverage specialists — is the availability of a secure drug provide, which may embrace medical grade prescriptions to assist handle habit.

Such an answer would guarantee predictability in what kinds of medicine are getting used and in what amount, which might assist scale back the danger of overdose considerably.

“Even when drug use is decriminalized, folks nonetheless must acquire the medicine from different sources, and there may very well be something added within the medicine. Even medicine that aren’t considered containing opioids, comparable to crystal meth, which is a stimulant, have been discovered on this area to be laced with fentany,l and so they have resulted in opioid overdose deaths,” Oglaza defined.

Based on Oglaza, throughout Ontario an rising proportion of deaths from drug poisoning are ensuing from substances that may not be anticipated to comprise opioids. The rise in medicine laced with opioids has led to extra advanced overdoses which might be tougher to reverse and have vital well being results.

Overdoses ensuing from opioids comparable to fentanyl might be reversed with naloxone kits, however overdoses of non-opioid medicine, comparable to benzodiazepines laced with opioids, should not conscious of naloxone.

With a bootleg drug provide, the content material and focus of medication is inconceivable to know, and individuals who use medicine are much less in a position to gauge an acceptable dose.

“Illicit provide comes with inherent threat of unknown doses and unknown focus that may have very dramatic well being impacts, even for many who are revived from an overdose,” Oglaza stated. “People are strolling in another way, talking in another way, affected by cognitive decline on account of anoxic mind damage. Principally, a scarcity of oxygen to the mind results in everlasting injury, and whereas they fortuitously survived the overdose, their well being continues to deteriorate.”

With the availability of a secure provide of medication, the danger of those hostile well being results might be minimized because the content material and amount of the drug shall be managed. Such options exist already and are utilized in different jurisdictions, it’s only a matter of making certain folks can entry this care.

“There’s completely different choices which might be obtainable via our colleagues in habit drugs. It’s about rising entry to this work for folks on this area. These choices are already getting used, these drugs are already getting used, however they only can’t be used below sure circumstances. The trail wherein that provide shall be obtainable is already there, and decriminalization is step one to cut back boundaries to entry well being care,” Oglaza stated.

bgoulem@postmedia.com

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