Mish Waraksa, a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner with over four years of experience working in safer opioid supply programs in Toronto, discussed how contaminants in the illicit opioid supply chain complicate the job of healthcare workers and the life-threatening side effects that come with Benzodiazepines and other impurities getting mixed into the street supply.

The conversation also focuses on the disinformation and subsequent spread of misinformation to the public about harm reduction practices, specifically safer supply, by both media and politicians, usually from the Conservative side of the aisle. It's important to understand these issues as a community, as understanding and support are crucial for the future of these life-saving harm-reduction resources.

“I’ve looked back at the history of the discourse around methadone in Canada and North America, and it was really the exact that was said about methadone,” said Waraksa. “That this isn’t really the place of medicine. People shouldn’t be prescribing drugs for people who are addicted to drugs. Concerns around diversion. Concerns that this attracts crime to good neighbourhoods. Sometimes, it’s word for word what is being said about safer supply, but back in the seventies. So, I try to keep in mind that this is a certain political moment. Things have obviously changed with methadone, where there would be few and far between people who say we shouldn’t offer methadone, and maybe one day, we’ll be in the same place with a safer supply or with a whole range of options for people who use drugs.”

Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) supplied funding for the Safer Opioid Supply program at the Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre. This was seed funding for programs only available for a maximum of five years. It was hoped that other levels of government or other organizations would step in to keep funding available for these programs across Canada.

The time-limited funding has allowed a wide range of innovative and evidence-informed projects to be set up nationwide, including substance use prevention, harm reduction, and treatment initiatives. However, the programs are in their final year of federal funding, and the urgent need for continued support is clear. Many politicians and media outlets have created a toxic culture in terms of how harm reduction, especially safer supply, is perceived. This is threatening the future of these life-saving programs, and the time for action is now.

Links related to this episode

Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre - https://pqwchc.org/

SOS - https://pqwchc.org/programs-services/harm-reduction/safer-opioid-supply-sos-program/

Forx - https://forx.bandcamp.com/track/safe-supply

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