The federal Health Minister @PattyHajdu said today: “The evidence shows us that supervised-consumption sites and services save lives and can provide people who use drugs with access to health and social services and treatment,” #FactsNotFearAB#SCS
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The evidence she is referring to is ethical and peer-reviewed. ❤️
At a time when Canadians are talking about safe supply, decriminalization and regulation #abpoli is in the dark ages thinking that residential addictions treatment
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is the only treatment available. There are tons of types of addictions treatments. We need them all, because one type of treatment modality doesn't work for everyone.
Here is the dangerous part of residential treatment during a fentanyl crisis:
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Drug Tolerance
Detox, a short stay to detoxify your body is a pre-requisite for residential treatment and is 4-7 days. Waiting lists are routine.
It's a health care miracle if you can get into residential treatment the day you leave detox.
So, almost everyone doesn't.
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In the 4-7 days your body gets a break from the drugs you were using.
Breaks means your drug tolerance goes down. Your body has less tolerance for the drugs you were using last week. Also, the drugs available from the unregulated market have probably also changed. #DANGER
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This means if someone relapses and uses the same amount of opioids as they did before detox, overdose is almost assured.
Let's be honest, a return to drug use often happens.
We've never met anyone who stopped drugs the first time and stayed stopped. Have you?
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⬇️Drug Tolerance ➕Opiod Relapse =⬆️Risk for Overdose. This is a bad response to the fentanyl crisis.
We need more options, not less, b/c Albertans aren't all the same. There is no magic bullet. Closing important services to open others isn't right. We need more of them all. 7/7
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We 🇨🇦 may like to think of ourselves as more progressive than our southern neighbours when it comes to drug policy. Truth is, we’re only ever 1 election away fr. regression & fear-mongering based on stigma, racism & a refusal 2 acknowledge the evidence behind harm reduction 2/25
Although Health 🇨🇦 has reiterated current federal support for safe consumption sites (SCS) & endorsed programs providing a safe supply of drugs, each province & territory is ultimately in control of its own healthcare. This🍃harm reduction services in a precarious position. 3/25
Our dear Sam I think will be in the next quarter’s data. A lovely person who I knew for years. And this @UCPCaucus government doesn’t care 2 cents about them or anyone else. I hate them so much.
@ARCHESLeth SCS sees 800 people a day.
They have 13 booths for injecting, snorting or consuming drugs from the unregulated market.
The 2 inhalation spaces (6-8 people total) have been closed because of #Covid19AB so lets put that aside for the moment. 1/4
Ministry of Health & Addictions said “Based on the utilization data we’ve received from the current supervised consumption services operator, the capacity will be sufficient to serve the clients.” tinyurl.com/yxwsz89h
How could that be possible? AHS mobile has 3 booths. 2/4
Each of the booths would have to turn over every 13 minutes for 20 hours/day. 40 people in and out every hour including cleaning. That's with no person experiencing the MEDICAL EMERGENCY that is overdose.
How is this even happening? People are going to die. #FactsNotFearAB 3/4