By Catherine Hacksel
A new service for people who use drugs has opened in Lowertown, with the hope it will ease the pressure on the three nearby injection sites currently operating. The service, operated in partnership with these existing sites, is delivered by Respect RX, a pharmacy with its flagship location just across the river in Vanier. The model is called “safer supply” or more technically, “pharmaceutical alternatives to street drugs”. A physician is onsite five days a week, and prescribed opioids are dispensed according to individualized care plans.
This program applies the same premise as other harm-reduction services: that accessible support–meeting individuals where they are at without judgment or penalty–will ultimately lead to improved health care and quality of life. This strategy has proven to work internationally. and similar models are now taking shape across the province and country, a prominent example being MySafe” on both Canadian coasts. This approach focuses on stability, predictability and security for the drug user as the immediate goal, since the daily hustle of illegal opioid dependence is wearying, expensive and dangerous.
While safe injection sites assure temporary legal sanctuary and response in the event of an overdose, street fentanyl in particular is a difficult drug to depend on. Several years ago street fentanyl (prescribed diverted patches meant for long-term wear) was strong; now powdered fentanyl is increasingly potent. Meanwhile due to the unregulated supply, its quality varies and peaks are sharp, making tolerance and agonizing withdrawals persistent challenges.
As overdoses have increased substantially during the COVID pandemic across Canada, this local step in Ottawa is urgently needed. Currently 25 individuals benefit from Respect RX’s pilot safer-supply program, and they plan to expand clientele to 200 individuals with new Health Canada funding and local harm-reduction partners. Meanwhile local injection sites shoulder the weight of the illicit drug use along with those who can currently access these sites.
As demonstrated in Europe and the Crosstown Clinic in Vancouver, accessible legal supports for those grappling with addiction (including a safer supply of drugs), benefit the individual and are proven to reduce drug-related crime. I hope other prescribers and pharmacies will replicate this approach, to address the devastating dangers of our current drug supply, and assure health care for those struggling in the short and long term.