British Columbia91裸聊视频檚 former chief coroner says she91裸聊视频檚 disappointed by the province91裸聊视频檚 overhaul of its program that provides prescription alternatives to toxic street drugs, a shift she says 91裸聊视频渇eels like a really impulsive political decision.91裸聊视频�

Lisa Lapointe said the move to a 91裸聊视频渨itnessed-only91裸聊视频� model in which people are supervised while consuming their prescription drugs appeared to ignore scientific evidence.

91裸聊视频�(Driving) people away from the illicit black market by providing them access to a regulated supply of the drug that they91裸聊视频檙e dependent on keeps people safe,91裸聊视频� said Lapointe, who retired from the chief coroner91裸聊视频檚 post in February 2024.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 really disturbing that our politicians who we rely on to keep us safe are more likely to respond to ideological arguments than science.91裸聊视频�

Health Minister Josie Osborne announced the change on Wednesday, saying it was aimed at preventing the diversion of take-home prescription opioids onto the street.

The issue of opioid diversion from the prescribed alternatives program, also known as safer supply, has dogged the NDP government of Premier David Eby.

Last March, both the RCMP91裸聊视频檚 commanding officer in B.C. and then-solicitor general Mike Farnworth said there was no evidence of 91裸聊视频渨idespread91裸聊视频� diversion.

But this month, a leaked Health Ministry briefing for police said a 91裸聊视频渟ignificant portion91裸聊视频� of opioids prescribed in B.C. were being diverted.

Opposition leader John Rustad of the B.C. Conservatives portrayed the policy shift as a 91裸聊视频渕ajor policy victory91裸聊视频� for his party.

91裸聊视频淓by91裸聊视频檚 NDP has caved on one of Eby91裸聊视频檚 signature policy proposals and made a major about-face on their failed radical left-wing safe supply policy,91裸聊视频� he said on social media.

Lapointe said she had 91裸聊视频渟o many questions91裸聊视频� about the information on which B.C. officials based their decision to overhaul the program.

91裸聊视频淲hat harms have we seen? If diversion is happening on the scale that allegedly it has been, why? You know, who91裸聊视频檚 looking at the pharmacy and the pharmacists and that91裸聊视频檚 the job of the College of Pharmacists,91裸聊视频� she said in an interview.

91裸聊视频淚f widespread diversion is happening, is it because people aren91裸聊视频檛 getting the drug they need, and are these actually diverted prescribed medications? Or is this Dilaudid that91裸聊视频檚 been manufactured by organized crime to look like prescribed medications?91裸聊视频� she said, referring to the brand name for hydromorphone, a commonly prescribed safer-supply drug.

Lapointe 91裸聊视频� who sometimes clashed with the government over drug policy and presented a report in 2023 that recommended expanding safer supply to people without prescriptions 91裸聊视频� said the province should share the evidence behind the witnessed-consumption-only strategy.

91裸聊视频淚f they feel confident in their finding, then release the data.91裸聊视频�

Lapointe said the change would curtail access to prescription alternatives, making it 91裸聊视频渞eally onerous,91裸聊视频� especially for those who require multiple doses each day.

DJ Larkin, executive director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition based at Simon Fraser University, agreed and said people cannot go to a health provider91裸聊视频檚 office potentially multiple times each day in order to access prescription alternatives.

91裸聊视频淭aken at face value, if this program is now to require people to attend every dose, it means the program will effectively disappear,91裸聊视频� Larkin said in an interview Thursday.

91裸聊视频淚f you live in the Northern Health Region, the idea of travelling for daily dispensing and witness dispensing is impossible.91裸聊视频�

Larkin said the new policy was 91裸聊视频渂ased on politics and not on evidence.91裸聊视频�

Leslie McBain with the advocacy group Moms Stop the Harm said she was 91裸聊视频渂lindsided91裸聊视频� by what she also called a political move.

She said people who have stabilized their lives by participating in the program were being 91裸聊视频減ut in an ugly position.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚nstead of going to the pharmacy four times a day or three times a day to be witnessed, they will just go back to the black market, which is much easier, and then there will be more toxic overdoses and more fatalities,91裸聊视频� she said.

B.C.91裸聊视频檚 new policy reflects recent recommendations by Addiction Medicine Canada, a group of addictions clinicians, who urged the province to adopt a supervised model.

Group member Dr. Robert Cooper, an addictions doctor and family physician in Toronto, said last month that 91裸聊视频渨idespread91裸聊视频� anecdotal reports alleging inappropriate use of prescribed opiates required such a policy shift.

91裸聊视频淭he concern here is where the programs are giving medications to patients who 91裸聊视频� are either using them inappropriately, so injecting or crushing and snorting and/or selling (them) or giving them to others, and using the proceeds to buy fentanyl.91裸聊视频�

But Larkin said diversion has been happening for as long as prescriptions have existed, and it91裸聊视频檚 important to look at why it may be occurring in B.C.

91裸聊视频淥ne answer is the drug supply is really scary for people right now, and so diversion to friends and family can be a way to keep loved ones safe by sharing your prescription with someone else,91裸聊视频� Larkin said.

Dr. Ryan Herriot, an addictions medicine doctor and family physician on Vancouver Island, said he worried about politicization of care for those with substance-use disorders.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 not saying this government would do that, but I worry that they are, maybe unbeknownst themselves, they91裸聊视频檙e actually making it easier for someone else in the future to further politicize other areas of medicine,91裸聊视频� said Herriot, who is a member of the group Doctors for Safer Drug Policy.

Angie Gaddy, spokeswoman for the BC Pharmacy Association, said in an email the group was waiting for more details but 91裸聊视频渨e do support the government91裸聊视频檚 decision as an element in addressing the diversion of prescribed alternatives.91裸聊视频�

More than 16,000 people have died in B.C. since the toxic drug crisis was declared a public health emergency in April 2016.

91裸聊视频� With files from Darryl Greer in Vancouver

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press