7 Important Points About The Poisoned Drug Crisis

Today's Learning Moment 04-11-23 Important Points About The Poisoned Drug Catastrophe

Written by and for people with Lived Experience - Port Alberni Community Action Team - Families Helping Families.

You might be asking yourself why you need to know about the poisoned drug crisis.

Knowledge is power. By learning more about the poisoned drug crisis, you can empower yourself to make informed decisions for yourself, your family, and your community. Learning about the crisis protects you and the people you love. Being informed gives you the tools to take action. Maybe you’ll even become an advocate for change and work to improve access to harm reduction services, recovery, substance disorders treatment, and other resources for people who use substances. By learning more about the crisis, you can become part of the solution and work to create a safer, healthier community for all.

And now, here are seven Important points we need to know about the Poisoned drug crisis.

1. The poisoned drug crisis is a public health emergency that affects everyone! There is no community anywhere in our country that isn’t impacted. Having a substance disorder is not a moral failing. It's a health condition that requires treatment.
2. The crisis is being driven by the proliferation of powerful, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, which is many times stronger than heroin and can be lethal even in small doses. Add mental health challenges and social challenges of homelessness, poverty, etc and you have the perfect storm.
3. Fentanyl and a host of other contaminating drugs such as Benzos, Xylaline etc are in ALL illicit drugs, including opioids, cocaine, meth, crack and MDMA.
4. People who use substances alone have the biggest risk of all. To prevent overdose, never use substances alone! If there is no other choice, call NORS 1-888-688-NORS(6677) or use a monitoring app like the BRAVE APP or Lifeguard app. Always carry naloxone.
5. Overdose can happen to ANYONE who uses unregulated substances, regardless of age, race, gender, or socioeconomic status – You might be just trying something for the first time or a person who uses substances extensively. No one is immune to overdose.
6. Harm reduction strategies such as overdose prevention education, naloxone distribution, and supervised injection sites save lives and reduce the harm for everyone with substance disorders and our communities at large.
7. Negative stereotyping and stigma surrounding substance use create huge barriers to effective treatment and prevention efforts. We can all reduce stigma by promoting a compassionate, evidence-based approach to addressing the poisoned drug crisis and the people who suffer from substance disorders.

The poisoned drug crisis is largely the result of failed drug policies that prioritize punishment over public health. By learning more about the crisis, you can become an advocate for policy change and work to promote evidence-based, compassionate approaches to drug policy. Thank you for clicking on the link that brought you here. We are grateful for your curiosity.

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Author: Ron Merk  – Ron is a person with lived experience and advocates for people and families with concurrent disorders. (This article was written with the help of AI -accessing the combined knowledge of humanity)

Note: We may use words or phrases in our articles that are not first person, or the latest best-in-practice language. Sometimes we will use older, non-informed jargon. to clarify and inform people who are learning the new non-stigmatizing language. (linking old language usage to new terms) You can tell when you run into these old or non-inclusive words or phrases. They will be in quotation marks - eg old word “addiction” – When we introduce new inclusive language, words or phrases, they will be in Parenthesis - eg (people with substance disorders).

Families Helping Families is an initiative of the Port Alberni Community Action Team. We regularly send out "Learning Moment" articles to help folks understand substance disorders or concurrent disorders. Knowledge is vital in understanding these disorders of our family members. You may copy, distribute or share our articles as long as you retain the attribution. Add yourself to our distribution list by dropping us a note at - albernihelp@gmail.com