London's Medical Officer of Health Dr. Christopher Mackie, September 18, 2017. (Photo courtesy of the City of London via YouTube)London's Medical Officer of Health Dr. Christopher Mackie, September 18, 2017. (Photo courtesy of the City of London via YouTube)
London

Public Input Sought For Supervised Drug Consumption Sites

The City of London has taken the first steps towards possibly implementing supervised injection/consumption sites within the community.

During a Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee meeting on Monday, committee members voted 14-0 to send a motion to council to endorse further study and public consultation with community stakeholders regarding the use of supervised consumption sites.

"A supportive motion from this council demonstrates support for this kind of work, demonstrates support for those that are most vulnerable in our community," said Mayor Matt Brown. "There is great work that is happening in this community every single day, in some cases it's exhausting work -- it's work where people are giving every fibre of their being to make a difference... But the fact of the matter is more needs to be done."

The public consultation will be conducted by the Opioid Crisis Working Group, which is comprised of the mayor as well as other community stakeholders, and Middlesex-London's Medical Officer of Health Dr. Christopher Mackie.

"You will often get people coming into this program who have not had a positive interaction with the system any other way," said Mackie during a presentation to the committee. "It's a great opportunity to connect them with those other resources like housing or rehab that will really help get their lives back on track."

Mackie said supervised consumption sites would provide clean environment and equipment for drug users, an on-site nurse, and links to those other services. Each site would also have a "chill room" where drug users would be able to sit while they go through their high, rather than letting them back onto the streets where they'd be vulnerable.

"Supervised consumption will not solve our drug crisis, it is however, a cornerstone which a number of other solutions must be built," said Mackie. "It sends that message to the people using drugs on the street that your community cares about you and wants to work with you. That's the exact opposite message they've often been getting for most of their lives."

Mackie said public consultation is urgently needed, as it is required to apply for federal drug law exemptions.

"It's an absolutely necessary step to go through, and also, it's really important that we both help our public understand what supervised consumption is, and also gather from the public how could this kind of service be best provided without disrupting communities," he said.

Since that late 2000s, roughly 30 people a year have died of an overdose in London, according to Mackie, which is almost 400 people in the last ten years.

"We have a level of opioid deaths that is striking and really unacceptable," said Mackie. "Almost one person each weekend is overdosing of opioids."

Mackie said London has multiple overlapping drug-related crises, which includes overdoses, HIV and Endocarditis caused by the use of unclean needles, public drug use, and the growing trend of used needles discarded around the local community. He said supervised consumption sites would help to address these issues.

He added that it is also a much less expensive way in dealing with problems associated with drug abuse.

The motion to endorse public consultation for supervised consumption will now go before council for a vote. If approved, the Opioid Crisis Working Group will conduct the consultation and report back to elected officials with its findings.

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