Question Period Note: Prescribing "Safer Supply" for Youth

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• Prescribing guidelines have been developed by experts at the BC Centre on Substance Use, and apply in the Province of BC.
• The guidelines make specific references to additional precautions that should be taken if a medical practitioner is considering this intervention for young people who are using drugs from the toxic illegal drug supply.
• Health Canada did not play a role in their development, nor does Health Canada have a role in approving medical practice guidelines.
• The decision to provide any kind of medical intervention to a patient is a choice for medical practitioners and patients to make based on a patient’s medical needs, safety considerations, available medical guidelines, and applicable provincial and territorial rules and regulations.
• To be clear – prescribed alternative projects are meant for people who are already using illegal drugs and are at-high risk of overdose due to the toxic illegal drug supply in Canada.
• When it comes to young people, we can all agree that maximum efforts must be made to prevent drug use from starting in the first place. At the federal level, we continue to support a number of youth-focused prevention initiatives to help increase awareness of the dangers of substance use, including:
o developing tools to prevent substance-related harms among youth in school;
o the "Know More" awareness campaign which aims to engage teens and young adults on the facts surrounding opioids and ways to reduce risks; and
o a new Youth Substance Use Prevention Program
 

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