Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. Coroner's death panel recommends issuing drugs without prescription to stop ODs

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Nov, 2023 12:19 PM
  • B.C. Coroner's death panel recommends issuing drugs without prescription to stop ODs

A death review panel from the British Columbia Coroners Service is recommending community groups be allowed to hand out drugs without a prescription in an attempt to stop the relentless overdose death toll. 

The panel's report coincided with the monthly overdose death toll of 175 people in September, which the coroners service says is a 10 per cent drop from the same month a year ago, but still equal to 5.8 deaths a day across B.C. 

Jennifer Whiteside, B.C.'s minister of mental health and addictions, immediately rejected the proposal in a letter to chief coroner Lisa Lapointe, saying a non-prescription model is not being considered and she can't accept the main recommendation.

The report says about 225,000 people in B.C. use unregulated substances but fewer than 5,000 people a month have prescriptions to receive safe-supply drugs.

Michael Egilson, the chair of the Coroners Service death panel review, says in a statement that the report's recommendations reflect the sense of urgency in the province to prevent more overdose deaths.

The panel says the fastest way to reduce deaths is to cut dependence on the unregulated toxic drug supply. 

"A fundamentally different approach is urgently required as incremental increases of existing interventions are unlikely to make a meaningful population difference and people will continue to die at unprecedented rates," the report says. 

"The urgent need for a practical, scalable response to the public health emergency requires pursuit of a non-medical model that provides people who use drugs with an alternative to the unregulated drug market."

The report says such an approach would complement the existing medical model and would be more nimble to meet the unique needs of people in communities that are rural and remote, or that lack the infrastructure needed by medical clinics. 

More than 13,000 people have died since April 2016, when B.C. declared a public health emergency for the overdose crisis as the powerful opioid fentanyl became more common on the streets.

Health Canada granted B.C. an exemption under the Controlled Drugs Act last January to allow people in B.C. to possess small amounts of hard drugs in an effort to reduce the stigma associated with drug use and prevent deaths.

MORE National ARTICLES

Poilievre introduces housing bill, plan focuses on getting cities to build more homes

Poilievre introduces housing bill, plan focuses on getting cities to build more homes
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has introduced a private member's bill in the House of Commons that outlines a plan to address the national housing crisis.  The bill, which is unlikely to pass, centres around using federal infrastructure and transit spending to push cities to build more homes.  

Poilievre introduces housing bill, plan focuses on getting cities to build more homes

Vancouver police boost security at Indian Consulate since Trudeau remarks on killing

Vancouver police boost security at Indian Consulate since Trudeau remarks on killing
Const. Tania Visintin, the department's media relations officer, says police are "closely monitoring the situation" since Trudeau's announcement about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a vocal supporter of an independent Sikh homeland, who was shot dead in Surrey in June. She says Vancouver police aren't aware of any specific threats to Indian consular officials, but have increased police presence at the downtown Vancouver consulate.   

Vancouver police boost security at Indian Consulate since Trudeau remarks on killing

Four firefighters heading home die in vehicle crash on B.C. road: government

Four firefighters heading home die in vehicle crash on B.C. road: government
Four firefighters travelling home after battling British Columbia's wildfires have died in a road crash. Premier David Eby and Forests Minister Bruce Ralston say in a joint statement the firefighters died in a motor vehicle accident near Cache Creek in the B.C. Interior.

Four firefighters heading home die in vehicle crash on B.C. road: government

911 phone service for seniors

911 phone service for seniors
Vancouver police are offering free 9-1-1 cellphones to seniors who can’t afford their own phone. Police say in a statement that seniors on fixed or low incomes are sometimes less inclined to rely on technology for safety, especially if it involves a monthly cost.

911 phone service for seniors

Unusual North Vancouver crash

Unusual North Vancouver crash
A transport truck hauling a large, square container slammed into an overpass in North Vancouver on Tuesday, snarling traffic on Highway 1 for hours, and B.C.'s latest case of overheight mayhem also has a bizarre twist. RCMP say the driver fled after the crash that wedged the tarp-covered box underneath the Main Street overpass of Highway 1, buckling the flatbed trailer supporting it.

Unusual North Vancouver crash

Cross-country rallies against 'gender ideology' in schools meet with counter-protests

Cross-country rallies against 'gender ideology' in schools meet with counter-protests
Protesters accused schools of exposing young students to "gender ideology," and said parents have the right to know whether their children are questioning their gender identity. Counter-demonstrators, meanwhile, accused protesters of importing United States culture wars into the country and trying to deny students important lessons about inclusion and respect for gender-diverse people.  

Cross-country rallies against 'gender ideology' in schools meet with counter-protests