Albertans call for urgent action on drug poisoning crisis in 'dying for access' rally
Story by Anna Junker • Tuesday
Harm reduction advocates handed out examples of a safe regulated drug supply at a rally Tuesday afternoon calling for the Alberta government to take urgent action to address the drug poisoning crisis.
People protested at a rally held outside the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton on Tuesday November 29, 2022, calling for the government to take urgent action on the ongoing drug poisoning crisis that continues to kill more Albertans aged 25 to 39 than any other cause of death. They were calling for the removal of barriers to evidence-based services such as supervised consumption, regulated substances and patient-centred treatment.
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Coinciding with the start of the legislature session, dozens of people gathered outside the Alberta legislature in the second annual Dying for Access event.
Advocates and loved ones of people who use drugs called for the province to rescind the narcotics transition services program, provide access to regulated substances, expand supervised consumption sites, and provide better data on treatment programs.
“We’re here today because Albertans are still dying for access,” said organizer Petra Schulz, who founded Moms Stop the Harm.
“They’re dying for access to harm reduction, dying for access to a safe regulated supply, and they’re dying for access to evidence-based and accountable treatment.
“About five people a day are dying every day and it’s heartbreaking and needs to change, we need to do something differently.”
Between January and August, there have been 1,030 drug poisoning deaths in Alberta, with 976 of those opioid-related . Over the same time period in 2021, there were 1,111 drug-poisoning deaths and 969 of those were opioid related. Last year was the province’s deadliest year on record for drug poisonings.
Coinciding with the start of the legislature session, dozens of people gathered outside the Alberta legislature in the second annual Dying for Access event.
Advocates and loved ones of people who use drugs called for the province to rescind the narcotics transition services program, provide access to regulated substances, expand supervised consumption sites, and provide better data on treatment programs.
“We’re here today because Albertans are still dying for access,” said organizer Petra Schulz, who founded Moms Stop the Harm.
“They’re dying for access to harm reduction, dying for access to a safe regulated supply, and they’re dying for access to evidence-based and accountable treatment.
“About five people a day are dying every day and it’s heartbreaking and needs to change, we need to do something differently.”
Between January and August, there have been 1,030 drug poisoning deaths in Alberta, with 976 of those opioid-related . Over the same time period in 2021, there were 1,111 drug-poisoning deaths and 969 of those were opioid related. Last year was the province’s deadliest year on record for drug poisonings.
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In a statement, Colin Aitchison, spokesman for the Mental Health and Addiction M inistry , highlighted the Alberta government’s recovery-orientated system of care, focusing on prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery.
“Services that reduce harm can be part of a comprehensive continuum of care when operated effectively,” he said. “Over the past three years we have taken significant steps to ensure that supervised consumption services and narcotic transition services are only operated in a highly professional manner.”
Schulz said the primary ask of the province is to provide a safe, regulated drug supply.
“Where regulated substances are available, people have had their lives stabilized, we have crime numbers going down because people don’t need to engage in property crime, to find the money to buy the substances, health-care utilization goes down, health-care costs are reduced,” Schulz said.
“There are so many benefits, but for us as families who have lost loved ones, the primary benefits are that people live and as long as they live, there’s hope for the future you can connect them to services, and maybe they can find treatment.”
During the rally, advocates handed out an example of safe supply of a “legal stimulant” — 28.3 milligrams of caffeine. Schulz said it’s an example of what an individual would be able to possess in British Columbia when an exemption goes into effect on Jan. 31 allowing adults to carry a cumulative amount of 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.
“Our safe supply is caffeine and it won’t save life, but it might support some critical thinking,” Schulz said. “You just need to do different things differently here in Alberta, because more of the same old is not working.”
But Aitchison said there are health and safety risks such as increasing addiction and overdose rates if opioids are diverted into the community.
“We will continue to support Albertans in their pursuit of recovery while also protecting the public from the risk of drug diversion,” he said.
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