Whereas the ongoing opioid crisis has taken the lives of over 2,800 residents of British Columbia since January of 2016, eclipsing annual deaths from suicide, motor vehicle incidents, and homicides combined, with Indigenous communities overrepresented amongst those that died from an overdose and Indigenous women more likely than non-Indigenous women to die from an overdose; And whereas partners in provincial and local governments, health, public safety, and community continue to take significant efforts to curb this loss of life, the crisis has been driven by an increasingly deadly and unregulated drug supply that includes fentanyl and other toxic substances that continues to result in a high number of overdose deaths, and while the health system continues to take significant afford to treat people living with addictions, the unregulated supply remains a significant hazard for the population at large: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM write to the Prime Minister, Federal Ministers of Health, Justice, and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, urging the Government of Canada to support a comprehensive and culturally safe public health approach to the ongoing opioid crisis, beginning with the implementation of low-barrier opioid distribution programs for those most at risk for overdose death whilst initiating a review process for Canadas legislative, regulatory, and policy frameworks governing illegal drugs to move towards a comprehensive regulatory framework for all illegal substances across Canada.
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Furthermore, the Government of Canada recognizes the importance of implementing a comprehensive and culturally safe approach to drug policy, especially in the wake of the opioid crisis. As you are aware, the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy COSS, introduced in December 2016, replaced the National Anti-Drug Strategy with a balanced approach that includes harm reduction alongside prevention, treatment, and enforcement. Current efforts to address the harm caused by opioids in particular reflect the spirit of the COSS. In support of the new strategy, the government passed Bill C-37: An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act CDSA, which became law on May 18, 2017. These legislative amendments assist law enforcement and border officers in their efforts to stop the production and trafficking of illicit substances, including fentanyl, which is increasingly implicated in the contamination of the illicit drug supply. For instance, amendments to the Customs Act now allow border officers to open suspicious packages weighing 30 grams or less, while amendments to the CDSA control the importation of designated devices e.g. pill presses used to produce street drugs. These measures help stop illicit substances from crossing the border into Canada, as well as address domestic production of these drugs. Given the public health-oriented nature of the opioid crisis, I have taken the liberty of forwarding a copy of your correspondence to my colleague, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, for information and consideration.