California and New York have opened “safe injection sites,” and Canada is creating “safer supply programs,” enabling residents to legally use illegal drugs. The programs are meant to create safe spaces where people already using drugs can be monitored by health officials to prevent drug overdoses.
British Columbia is being criticized for having fentanyl as one of the drugs available and for allowing minors to take part — seemingly without parental consent.
The Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a public policy think tank, reviewed the prescribed safer supply protocols’ latest guidance. The fentanyl program requires someone to be an active user of unregulated fentanyl and at high risk of overdose.
For minors wanting to participate, it is recommended that prescribers on-site get a second prescriber’s opinion before handing over a low-dose fentanyl tablet. There is no section requiring a prescriber to obtain parental consent, and it does not specify a minimum age for clients.
Under the “precautions” section of the program guidance, a prescriber is required to document their decision to give fentanyl to a minor.
MLI stands opposed to the program and published a report calling the initiative “reckless.”
“Governments have a duty to provide evidence-based treatment to vulnerable citizens and consider collateral harms to others,” report author Adam Zivo said. “Rather than fulfill this duty, the BC government is committing to risky and highly experimental interventions that lack an appropriate evidence base.”
