Are ‘Safe Supply’ Opioids Based More on Ideology Than Evidence?

Commentary Almost three years into the experimental opiate “safer supply” program in British Columbia and no one, including those handing out the pills, seems to know if it is working or making the problem worse. There’s no shortage of opinions arguing on either side of the debate, but recent reports suggest that the facts remain in short supply. Safe supply initiatives fall under the broad category of harm reduction programs. For opiate addiction, the program typically involves the prescription and distribution of pills like hydromorphone, a medical-grade opioid that is as potent as heroin, to addicts. The underlying hope is that addicts will then forgo possibly tainted illicit street drugs in favour of the “safer” government-provided pills....