Tainted drugs are fuelling Thunder Bay's opioid deaths, say advocates. They want a safe supply to fight it
A safe supply of opioids 'would mean less death,' says CEO of NorWest Community Health Centres
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Inside the only supervised injection site in Thunder Bay, Ont., nurse practitioner Josh Fraser has reversed so many opioid overdoses that he says the lives saved are "too many to count." "It's not about trying to stop it," Fraser said of drug use in the northwestern Ontario city. "I think it's about providing a safe place and meeting people where they're at." The NorWest Community Health Centres' supervised injection site is part of a wider call by the Alliance for Healthier Communities — a network of community-governed health-care providers — asking the federal government to address contaminated drugs in the illicit market, and provide a safe supply for opioid users. A safe supply "would mean less death," but would require the federal government to collaborate with the provinces on a national strategy.
