The Controversy Over A Safe Drug Supply In Canada

The history of opiates, and opiate addiction goes back thousands of years. I once read that every single society throughout history with access to opiates, resulting in high levels of addiction – will use up the entire supply made available to them. 

With the introduction of fentanyl, the potency of opiates has skyrocketed. We are told the fentanyl is coming from China, however if that is truly the case, one does wonder why Australia has not been afflicted as much as other countries in the world, when Australia has a much closer proximity to China.

In addition, apparently Australia just had a drug bust involving fentanyl, with enough doses to kill the entire population of Sydney. The shipment came from Canada. 

I recently listened to a safe supply pitch, or harm reduction video promotion filmed in Vancouver, where a journalist was interviewing those who actively support a safe supply. Although he took an observant and neutral position on the topic, by the look on his face, I am not sure they convinced him or swayed him to their position. 

The doctor who was interviewed for this video was very pro drugs, in particular pro opiates, insisting the use of opiates could be safe, normal, widespread, and not a problem at all. She made glib statements like “everyone uses drugs, and it does not have to be a problem at all.”

She came across as being kind of an opiate know-it-all, and in my opinion, she seemed more like an opiate promoting airhead. She sounded like a drug sales rep, advertising and advocating for the drug, instead of the patient. 

Even though she was right in the thick of it all, she was completely out of touch with reality. Paradoxically, she talked about the need for addicts to be given massive doses, due to high tolerance levels. She said for example, if you gave 100 mg for severe pain in a hospital, these people (addicts in the scope of a safe supply) would need at least 2500 mg. in a single dose. She flippantly thought nothing of that painful and poignant fact. 

The film also featured bereaved parents who lost children. In most cases, they believed their child was poisoned because they took a drug, in some cases a single pill, that was laced with fentanyl. In other cases, they did not realize the extent of the problem, until their son or daughter overdosed. Understandably some felt guilt, and others felt anger. 

Some of the grieving parents are lobbying for policies around a safe supply, and others are lobbying for addiction treatment centres. 

I believe the school system should be educating young kids about the addictive effects of opiates. Not about harm reduction, or safe supply, but rather the physiological and biological impact drugs cause on the various systems of the body. It should be explained to them why the tolerance for the drug becomes astronomically high, and why such a tolerance can predispose a person to a fatal overdose. 

All people should be aware that addiction means the need to take more and more of the drug to get the same effect. They should also know how long it takes to become addicted, and what specific drug classes are addictive. 

The focus should be on finding ways to feel good without the use of toxic mood elevating drugs. Educating kids should be about drug prevention, not drug use and safe supply. We need to find ways to stop indirect pharmaceutical promotion under the guise of “safety”. 

The history of the OxyContin crisis and the Sackler brothers setting up an aggressive marketing campaign in order to promote opiates is well known, and well documented. In 2020 Purdue pharmacy pleaded guilty to criminal charges in the fraudulent OxyContin promotion.

By the time they were charged, the company had already made fourteen billion dollars, and the Sackler brothers who were behind it all, have had immunity for years. They continue to face threats of civil lawsuits, and whether they are ever held accountable or not, the entire family will be tainted by their family history for generations to come. 

However the Sackler brothers are not the only culprits. The widespread use of Ritalin, and the overly zealous diagnosis of ADHD for every active kid in school, has contributed to the crystal meth drug crisis. In fact, we might even surmise they launched the crisis, just like the OxyContin crisis was launched by overprescribing opiates. 

The pharmaceutical and health care industry contributed to the rampant amphetamine use by overprescribing Ritalin and Adderall. Both drugs are stimulants. Adderall contains amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. Kids as young as four years old are being prescribed Ritalin. Is it any wonder there is a drug crisis?

The pharmaceutical companies claim drugs for ADHD can regulate brain chemistry, yet we already know the whole brain chemistry theory has been soundly debunked, based on the long term outcomes surrounding SSRI antidepressants. These drugs were advanced, promoted and over prescribed based on junk science, and the false notion about depression and brain chemistry. 

Healthy neurochemistry is not drug induced. It is based on diet, exercise, adequate sleep, stress management, and natural dopamine levels based on personal accomplishments, loving relationships, and overcoming challenges. There is no pill or quick fix that will navigate life for us. In fact the notion of a quick fix leads to disaster. 

Even for those who are estranged from family, or come from a toxic and abusive family dynamic, there is a deeply spiritual aspect to addiction. God’s love will not forsake us. Christ said “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” In Galatians 5:1 it tells us “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery”

Addiction is a form of bondage, because it robs choices, opportunities, and health. In many cases it puts a person on death row without a trial. In the meantime, it forces the person to work towards serving the addiction, which is very costly with no positive returns. When you think of how much money has been spent on addiction, and all it demands, just to drag people down, the losses are monstrous. 

The public tends to be profoundly gullible when it comes to destructive and debilitating pharmaceutical drugs. Multiple pharmaceutical companies have been charged with fraud. In 2009 Pfizer faced one of the biggest health care frauds and scandals in history. For them, it was a drop in the bucket. 

If you go to Wikipedia and look up the list of pharmaceutical frauds and scandals, to include false claims, kickbacks, and off-label promotions, you will find a very long list. It barely scratches the surface of the underlying issues. 

When it comes to addiction, gullible people can become unwittingly addicted, if they trust and believe doctors will only prescribe what is safe. Just look at Jordan Peterson’s widely publicized journey with benzodiazepine addiction.

Jordan Peterson believed he was taking a safe supply of a safe drug, prescribed by a qualified physician. Obviously he is an intelligent man, yet he faced astronomical obstacles trying to get free of his own addiction. 

Some people claim there is no such thing as a vulnerability or a predisposition to addiction. In one sense it is true, in that many times kids from loving families become addicted, and people who are accomplished and wealthy can also become addicted. 

However, I do believe some people are more vulnerable and prone to addiction than others. Although addiction has no respecter of persons in many ways, there are those who are much more susceptible or predisposed to addiction.

Childhood trauma, genetics, PTSD, chronic pain, the need for repeated surgeries, addicted parents, or intergenerational trauma, violence and abuse, childhood sexual abuse, exploitation, emotional abuse, extreme financial stress, job loss, homelessness, and complex grief reactions – all increase the likelihood of addiction.

Those who have backgrounds and personalities that are stable, nurtured, supported, and fairly stress free, are much less likely to become addicted. They can accept their own mood cycles, and are better equipped to regulate their systems, and realize when something is off.

If a person is well adjusted and happy, they do not want to escape reality, and also do not want to feel the sickness, and side effects brought about by drugs. They are also more likely to get a good diet and regular exercise. A healthy lifestyle helps people to feel at peace, experience joy, and realize that some sadness, or grouchy days, are normal and to be expected. 

When I hear some of the promotions surrounding rampant drug use, and safe supply, I don’t buy it. The primary reason I don’t believe in such a thing as a safe supply for addicts, is because they need an ever increasing supply.

Therefore, it only stands to reason, there will be a constant search for more drugs. When a person is disinhibited, or under the influence, they are less likely to be vigilant when buying, seeking, or using the drugs. Chances are they will take advantage of safe drugs when they are available, and resort to street drugs in between. 

Another reason I don’t believe in a safe supply, is because of the physiological effects, and side effects of almost all drugs. For this reason I would not even promote statins, or SSRI’s, or anticholinergic drugs, or any drug unless it was for palliative care, or short term usage. We have become far too drug dependent, and are easily led down the chemical trail. 

Many people are led to believe they need certain drugs. It is not uncommon for seniors to have a bag full of prescription drugs, most of which they don’t even know the names of, let alone what they are for. Yet they really believe they need all those drugs, and would die without them. I think it is more likely they will die because of them.

Of course opiates have their place in the cases of severe pain, such as heart attacks, trauma, and fresh post op surgeries. They can also help keep a terminally ill patient pain free and comfortable. 

The notion that widespread use of street drugs can be safe, is obviously bogus, as can easily be seen by the devastation and deaths it has caused. One only needs to walk down the streets of any town or city, to see the loss of human dignity and potential, caused by widespread drug use. The picture it paints, by what is witnessed, is hardly an opiate Nirvana. It is more like John Milton’s Paradise Lost.

When people are in their twenties, and cannot even take care of themselves, something is seriously wrong. It is not normal to spill the contents of a backpack on the ground, and then be unable to pick the items up, and put them back in the pack. It is terribly sad to see people go through such a disturbing regression, and inability to function. 

The cycle, and attraction of most addictions, is based on an artificial mood elevation, and escapism. There is a temporary euphoria, and a cathartic release from all the daily struggles, and emotional pain.

If it hijacks the individual, and becomes a cycle – soon the addiction is all that matters. In between the highs, are corresponding lows, to the point there is no even-keel, or stability at all in the life of the addict. 

All drugs have side effects. Not only do they wreak havoc with the dopamine neurochemistry, and intensity of mood. They also cause disturbances in gut health, diet, routines, skin integrity, liver and kidney function, and overall well-being. It robs people of their health, and their potential.

Being addicted means not feeling well, therefore I do not see how it can be viewed as compassionate, to enable or support addiction, pretending it can be healthy. It is not healthy. Since it is so unhealthy, the person cannot possibly feel good in a natural state. They do not deserve to be shamed or judged. They deserve genuine empathy, and true compassion for their overall health and well-being. 

The addictive high is a chemically induced mood elevator. The temporary euphoria is short lived, and soon the striving for more drugs, is based on the avoidance of being sick. Without a doubt, overcoming a serious addiction is a major challenge.

Many people have overcome addiction, and should be encouraged to go in the direction of healing through abstinence. There is no personal freedom in addiction, therefore to be liberated and free of it, is the ideal choice. 

When a person is high, they are not in control of their faculties. It increases vulnerability, and risk in all realms. From violence, to accidents, to shame, to loss of dignity, to doing things they would not otherwise do, to overdosing and dying. The risks taken while using – are astronomical.

When an addict is not high he/she is searching for the next fix, and cannot possibly feel well in that state either. All relationships are affected. The ability to enjoy the small and simple things in life begins to evaporate. Productivity reduces to the point they cannot care for themselves at all. 

It does not simply boil down to a safe supply, in order to avoid the deadly fentanyl overdose, although that has increased the risk of overdose significantly. The safe supply cannot prevent the increased tolerance, and need for more and more of the drug.

A safe supply cannot prevent the side effects, loss of productivity, and all the other health related problems caused by the drugs. 

The real solution is optimal wellness in a drug free state. That way the person can feel good, and can get in touch with their true emotions, and cycles of ups and downs. They can enjoy their food, and have a natural dopamine increase without the use of toxic chemicals. 

Regardless of what our position is, and what we choose to do in our own lives, we would be wise to put on a pharmaceutical filter with a strong dose of cynicism.

When it comes to taking any drug, for starters, all people should know what they are taking, what class of drug it is, how it affects other systems of the body, and what it might interact with as far as other drugs, alcohol, and food is concerned. They should know why they are taking it, what the side effects are, how long they will need to take it, if it is really necessary, and most of all – is it addictive. 

Clearly we will not get educational policies through the very systems that are supposed to support health and well-being. We live in a society where drug promotion, and drug fraud is rampant, long before we hit the street level drugs.

Whether it is the aggressive and fraudulent pharmaceutical marketing campaigns, or doctors over prescribing, government policies, or criminal drug cartels – it all boils down to profit. 

There is big money to be made, and like the old adage “the love of money is the root of all evil” there is no greater truism than in the drug industry. Once a person is addicted it guarantees a steady customer. 

Almost all prescription drugs are designed to be refilled over and over, and over again. People will believe they need the drug based on faulty drug promotion surrounding everything from statins, to SSRI’s to Ritalin, and pain relief. 

We are indoctrinated. And like being subjected to religious indoctrination, no one else is going to sort it out for us. We have to find the truth for ourselves. We have to get in tune with how we feel, and stop allowing doctors and the pharmaceutical industry to indiscriminately prescribe harmful medications. We have to understand, a high percentage of the pitch to get people to accept drugs is fraudulent. Look up the list of drug companies charged with fraud over the years, if you don’t believe me. 

During the years I worked as an RN one thing I definitely noticed, is the fewer drugs a person was on, the more likely they were to be sane and reasonably healthy. This was especially noticeable with seniors presenting in ER, and in long term care.

Those who took only a vitamin, or a baby aspirin once a day, were much healthier, slept better, and had far better cognition than those who were on a number of meds, especially psychoactive meds like antidepressants, benzodiazepines, opiates and sleeping pills.

How many young people have developed an addiction, and then helped themselves to what was in their parents, or grandparents medicine cabinet? There is often an underlying intergenerational, or familial component as a contributing factor that is denied, because the drugs were prescribed by a doctor. They were rationalized, because there was an element of control, and a perceived need. 

Yes, certain drugs are useful and needed. But when you compare what is truly needed, to what is being promoted and prescribed, it is wider than the Gulf of Mexico. 

The drug motto should not only be buyer beware, but user beware, and if you can avoid going down that path altogether – ignore the propaganda, and take the divergent route. In LTC the medications would be crushed and put into apple sauce, and countless people would immediately spat them out. 

We have been sold down the drug river, poisoning all the waters around us. We shouldn’t have to wait until we are ninety years old, to spat out the concoction in a spoonful of apple sauce.

We should spat them out long before we are in a care home, and recognize they could kill us, regardless of how they are disguised, or what kind of hype, slogans, and slick advertising packages they are encased in.

Whenever someone in the system tells us they want to “keep us safe” – it is a dire illusion. It is a drug induced phantasmagoria. It is a grim and grave antithesis, creating a deceptive mirage for us to keep tripping over.

On a street level, safe drugs is a contradiction in terms. It is a tainted booby trap, and another pit fall full of perils. It is a crooked hook, and a strung out stone. The only substance in such a concept – is narcotized and impaired. 

I realize all people truly want to save their loved ones, and prevent more tragedies. Love does not remain blind, and when it comes to addiction, there is so much more than meets the eye. 

Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West (2023). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.