Saskatchewan Restricts Illicit Drug Promotion Information, Equipment

Supplies are seen on a table at an outdoor supervised consumption site in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, on May 27, 2021. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

Saskatchewan’s government says it will no longer allow “safe supply” organizations to provide instructions on how to use illicit drugs or offer pipes for smoking drugs.

Instead, the province says it will focus on providing treatment to those struggling with drug addiction.

“Providing taxpayer-funded pipes for smoking illicit drugs and instructions for how to use them sends the wrong message to people who we want to help,” Mental Health and Addictions Minister Tim McLeod said in a government news release.

“Instead, the message coming from the health care system should be that there is hope for recovery, and there is help available through treatment,” he added.

The release also said the government will not provide funding for third-party organizations that help people use illicit drugs.

The executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction, a safe consumption site in Saskatoon, told The Epoch Times she is concerned by the government’s decision.

“It’s been a really devastating 24 hours as we try and navigate what to do with all of this and how we’re going to be able to operate our safe consumption site,” Kayla DeMong said. “I think one of the hardest things is that things like this really continue to tell the people that are accessing our services that they don’t matter.”

Test strips for fentanyl and benzodiazepine contamination will continue to be available, as well as drug-checking infrared spectrometres, the province said. The government also said it will adjust the needle exchange program for public safety.

“Needle exchanges will be required to operate on an exchange basis. Getting back used needles that can be littered in communities or otherwise improperly disposed of is a core purpose of needle exchanges,” the release said.

The government said that needle exchange programs will be required to perform needle pickup services in the communities where they operate.

“The other core purpose is to reduce the spread of bloodborne illnesses such as HIV and hepatitis C to avoid pressure on the health care system that can result from the spread of bloodborne illnesses,” the province said, adding that the changes were “effective immediately.”

Adding Addiction Treatment Spaces

Saskatchewan’s Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions was released in 2023, and part of the plan is to add at least 500 more addiction treatment spaces, the news release said.

“The goal of the health care system should always be getting people the treatment they need to overcome addictions and live healthy, safe lives in recovery,” Mr. McLeod said. “How the health care system responds to people who have yet to walk the path to recovery needs to strike a balance with public safety priorities.”

However, Ms. DeMong said it was not as simple as it sounded.

“What we really need is publicly funded treatment that is longer than 28 days,” she said, adding that those with addiction need support for up to a year or more.

“We currently have about 300 people who are accessing our safe consumption sites, and the majority of them are homeless. There is no world where someone who is homeless is going to go into a treatment center, and then be released back out onto the street,” Ms. DeMong said.

The government said it would continue to provide naloxone for free, which is used to reverse overdoses from opioids.

The Government of Canada says the medication works to reverse negative reactions for individuals using fentanyl, heroin, morphine, and codeine.

Saskatchewan said it has trained more than 40,000 people to use naloxone since 2015. The government news release says that nearly 10,000 overdoses have been reversed by those using naloxone. There are more than 400 locations in the province where naloxone kits can be found.

BC ‘Safe Supply’ Challenges

Saskatchewan’s changes come as British Columbia has faced challenges with its pilot decriminalization program that started in early 2023.

In September, the B.C. government said it would be putting a policy in place that would prohibit drug usage in public places, such as playgrounds, splash parks, and beaches.

The policy was made into legislation, which passed on Nov. 9, 2023. However, an injunction on implementing the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act was put in place after the Harm Reduction Nurses Association filed a legal challenge to the rules, saying the act would violate rights and freedoms.

“I am satisfied ... that there are serious issues to be tried, that irreparable harm will be caused if the Act comes into force, and that the balance of convenience weighs in favour of the plaintiff,” B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson wrote in the decision.

The B.C. government said it was disappointed in the court’s decision and was considering next steps.

 Tara MacIsaac contributed to this report.