CambridgeToday received the following letter on the Waterloo Region's opioid crisis from regional councillor Doug Craig.
The opioid crisis in the region is a multifaceted problem that won’t be easily solved by either safe consumption sites or the newly minted provincial HART hubs. What has not been understood is the enormity of the problem we are now facing in our community.
The recent June update by the Public Health unit has clearly outlined the concerns of drug issues on a number of fronts.
There are now estimated to be over 10,000 individuals accessing public health’s harm reduction programs, a combination of people using drugs periodically, and those using drugs daily. This was a clear underestimation of the number of people consuming unregulated drugs in Waterloo region in the opinion of some health experts who suggest it is considerably higher.
Yet, what is startling about this whole issue has been the underwhelming response when these results were finally made public.
The community has always been led to believe that in consumption sites, there was comfort and hope that this heralded harm reduction response was answering all of our expectations for those in the throes of addiction. However, the limited data from the site’s own reports fell far short of addressing the overall needs of the community.
Visits averaged approximately 50 people a day.
This stands in stark contrast to an earlier 2018 health report that stated that outside the site there were 2000 individuals injecting drugs daily. Clearly, in the last six years this has only increased.
Statistically, if anything, it has demonstrated that the lone consumption site in the region was reaching only a tiny segment of the user population. Adding to this were two important revelations in the health report. Those smoking crystal meth had increased by 300 percent and because the province prohibits inhalation, they were not allowed into the site while 55 percent of overdose deaths in the region took place in indoor private locations.
The sudden decision of the Ford government to close these sites including the region’s only one in Kitchener, has made many supporters very upset. Also, it has once again highlighted the province’s dismissive attitude towards the governance of local communities.
In their place, Queens Park announced the creation of 19 HART hubs across the province. Unfortunately and similar to all other downloaded social programs from the province, these hubs will eventually suffer from the same inadequate funding leaving it up to local taxpayers to finance the cost.
The hubs in themselves are a refreshing step forward. Oriented towards helping individuals with complex needs, these hubs will be open to anyone experiencing mental health issues, addiction and chronic homelessness. Yet, we must be reminded that opioid recovery is challenging considering the needs of those struggling with this addiction.
Clearly, there must be an alternate approach to this crisis. It has become apparent that with approximately 820 overdose deaths from addiction over the last six years that we must now collectively widen the lens as we move forward looking for complimentary initiatives.
The Public Health Unit supports a multi-pronged approach with prevention being one of the key strategies. This is clearly the new path to divert generations from this toxic crisis.
In 1964, the Surgeon General of the United States released a landmark report on smoking and health. It concluded that smoking was a major contributor to lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The report linked cigarette smoking to numerous other health issues including a 70 percent chance of premature death. In those early days people could smoke in grocery stores, hospitals, on planes and in movie theatres. They could buy cigarettes in vending machines.
The report initiated a flood of preventable strategies that saw smoking statistics from a high of 42 percent in the general population in 1966 down to the present day levels of 12 percent.
In those early days, “ 9 out of 10 smokers began smoking before the age of 18 and a full 99 percent started by age 26.” The results of early interventions over a period of time successfully turned younger generations away from the harmful affects of smoking and it’s that same strategy that we must employ today on a much larger scale to mitigate drug use in the future.
If we can convince people to wear seat belts, put on bike helmets and stop smoking then we can challenge the drug crisis by focusing upstream.
Education with a new spotlight on understanding the determinants that cause young people to turn to drugs are key to de-normalizing drug use in society. Putting a greater emphasis on prevention with an avalanche of new strategies is the decisive ingredient in building a healthier community for tomorrow.
Doug Craig
Cambridge
