Category: Overdose

International Overdose Awareness Day: People’s Lives Matter

“We also hear from many parents of drug users who have saved their own sons and daughters. Often when people shoot drugs, it happens near relatives rather than other drug users, who sometime know better than doctors how to provide help. If parents have a Naloxone kit at home and if they have been trained how to use it, they can make an injection and see their child come back to life right in front of their eyes. Often mothers ask us: Why didn’t we know about naloxone before? Why didn’t the drug therapist ever mention that there is a product that can reverse an overdose and save a life immediately?”

These are the words of Natalia, an outreach worker in the Ukraine as she describes the positive impact of her organization’s overdose prevention program on clients, employees, and the community. Natalia was interviewed by Sharon Stancliff from the Harm Reduction Coalition in New York during a Regional Workshop on HIV and Drug Use in Kiev, Ukraine. This interview is from a series of videos of people talking about the positive experiences with overdose response programs.

Natalia is not alone. Many people have been saved by proper training about overdose prevention and response. Many more could be saved by expanding these initiatives. That’s what International Overdose Awareness Day is about.

What is an overdose?

An overdose means having too much of a drug (or combination of drugs) for your body to be able to cope with. There are a number of signs and symptoms that show someone has overdosed, and these differ with the type of drug used. Check out this website for information on the signs of an overdose.

Between 2002 and 2009 there were 1654 fatal overdoses attributed to illegal drugs in B.C. Death from drug‐related overdose is a leading cause of accidental death in Ontario. Increases in the use of prescribed medications like Oxycodone have precipitated increases in overdose. Each year in Ontario between 300 and 400 people die from overdose involving prescription opioids — most commonly oxycodone. In Ontario, prescriptions of oxycodone increased by 850% between 1991 and 2007. The addition of long-acting oxycodone to the drug formulary was associated with a 5-fold increase in oxycodone-related mortality and a 41% increase in overall opioid-related mortality.

What is International Overdose Awareness Day?

International Overdose Awareness Day is held on August 31st each year. Commemorating those who have met with death or permanent injury as a result of drug overdose, it also acknowledges the grief felt by their families and friends. Celebrated around the world, it aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of drug-related death, especially for those mourning the loss of a loved one. It also spreads the message that the tragedy of overdose death is preventable.

An Inspired Idea

International Overdose Awareness Day originated in Melbourne, Australia in 2001. Sally Finn, manager of a Salvation Army needle and syringe program, was touched by the sorrow she observed among the friends and families of those who had overdosed. She witnessed their inability to express that sorrow because of the stigma surrounding people who use drugs.

Sally decided to organize an event of remembrance. To commemorate those who had died from overdose, Sally thought of distributing ribbons. She thought she’d need 500… she gave out 6,000.

Eleven years later, that one event in the back yard of a suburban crisis centre has evolved into International Overdose Awareness Day, which is now celebrated around the world. Its global significance reflects the universality of the human emotions triggered by the tragedy of overdose – a tragedy that is preventable.

Events in Canada marking International Overdose Awareness Day 2012

Ottawa: This year Ottawa is hosting an event at the Human Rights Monument on Elgin St. (at Laurier St.) in front of City Hall from 11:30am -12:30pm. Speakers will give an update on overdose statistics in Ontario, Dr. Lynne Leonard (Ottawa University) will speak and organizers will demand overdose prevention programming (Naloxone), evidence based treatment facilities, and the establishment of a supervised injection facility in Ottawa. For more information check out this page.

Toronto: The South Riverdale Community Health Centre is offering an afternoon of events with food and films. To kick things off, they are declaring their facility to be a Good Samaritan Zone and reminding people that they won’t be penalized for drawing attention to an overdose occurring on the site. Events will continue with a talk by Chantal Marshall from The Works in Toronto, who will discuss the role that Naloxone can play in responding to overdose, and Walter Cavalieri from the Canadian Harm Reduction Network, who will speak about the importance of remembrance on International Overdose Awareness Day.

Edmonton: On August 31st, Streetworks will be hosting a candlelight ceremony at City Hall at 2:00pm. Along with the ceremony, there will be words spoken by the Medical Officer of Health for the Edmonton Zone, Dr. Christopher Sikora, as well as a designate from City Hall. There will also be a raffle, with all proceeds going to overdose awareness programs.

Victoria: A vigil will be begin at 10:00am on the corner of Quadra and Pandora to honour those lost to fatal drug overdose and to recognize how stigma and discrimination, criminalization and a lack of harm reduction services, including supervised consumption services, continue to result in overdose fatalities. Check here for more information.

August 27, 2012
Director’s Report

The past three months have been a blur of activity as we further establish our presence and connect with organizations and individuals across the country and around the world. There truly is something bigger going on and momentum is building towards considering new and innovative approaches to addressing drug problems.

Mexico Unido Contra la Delincuencia

In February, I was invited to speak at an international conference in Mexico City – Drogas: Un balance a un siglo de su prohicion, organized by the crime prevention group Mexico Unido Contra la Delincuencia. The forum provided a thorough consideration of possible alternatives to the devastating consequences of the Mexican government’s war on drugs. Speakers came from around the world to share stories of innovation, legislative changes and practices that have moved their drug policies towards a public health approach and away from a failed criminal justice model.

Integrating Supervised Injection Into Health Services and Community: A National Knowledge Exchange

CAHR 2012 Montréal

In April, CDPC organized a forum on supervised injection services in partnership with the Dr. Peter Centre in Vancouver and Cactus Montreal as an ancillary event at the Canadian Association of HIV Research meeting in Montreal. The event was held in the beautiful Biblioteque et Archive National du Quebec and was a chance for organizations to share their experiences and review the current state of the discussion in their jurisdictions. CDPC will be working with a number of organizations to keep this national discussion moving forward as different localities explore implementing these services.

North American Drug Strategy Meeting – San Francisco, April 12, 13

San Fransisco

As part of CDPC’s international work we co-hosted a meeting in partnership with the Drug Policy Alliance in the US and CUPHID from Mexico City to explore the development of a coordinated North American drug policy dialogue. The San Francisco meeting was the initial exploratory session to see how we can work together to bring forward alternatives to North America’s current drug policies. In an effort to strengthen our ties across the continent, CDPC is currently looking for Canadian allies interested in supporting our work in Mexico.

Visit to the Maritimes

People & Policies Conference Halifax

As part of our ongoing efforts to build a national coalition I visited Atlantic Canada in May, attending events and meetings in Halifax, Saint John, New Brunswick and Charlottetown. Atlantic Harm Reduction Research Network invited CDPC to be a part of their public session – People and Policies: How do Drug Policies Impact the Health of our Communities? In addition to this, a day-long session with service providers and researchers also considered how best to integrate harm reduction services into shelter and emergency ward settings.

In Saint John, NB, AIDS Saint John, the Urban and Community Studies Institute at University of New Brunswick and CDPC co-hosted an event – Drugs and the City, which featured a panel discussion on drug policy with Tim Christie, Ethics Director, Saint John Health Region and Bill Reid, Chief of Saint John Police Department.

In Charlottetown, I met with a number of parents who are concerned about the lack of youth treatment on the Island and are interested in organizing a provincial “addictions movement” to generate discussion, share experiences and engage the provincial government in dialogue on improving services for people with drug problems.

Thunder Bay Municipal Drug Strategy

Pot, Pills and Parties Thunder Bay

On May 24^th Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy and Thunder Bay Drug Strategy put on the event – Pot, Pills and Parties. The event focused on the impact of Bill C-10 on young people and included a presentation from CDPC – Changing the Frame: A New Approach to Drug Policy in Canada.

As CDPC reaches out across the country we are finding new and innovative ways to strengthen and build our national coalition to improve Canada’s approach to drug problems. We will continue to engage Canadians and work at the international level towards this end.

Photo Credits:
Mexico – Steve Rolles
Montréal – Caroline Mousseau
San Fransisco – CC Flickr evoo73
Halifax – Wooden Shoe Photography

June 29, 2012
Insite withstands test of international drug control conventions

At the 55^th meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs held in Vienna March 12 – 16^th Damon Barrett, Human Rights expert at Harm Reduction International spoke candidly in the plenary session regarding the erroneous statements made by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) in their recent annual report (2011) concerning Vancouver’s supervised injection site, Insite.

In paragraph 437 of the report the INCB clearly states: “drug injection and consumption outlets that allow illicit drug possession and use are not in line with the international drug control conventions”. This is an outright falsehood and the United Nations Drug Control Program’s own legal advice commissioned in 2002 admits as much. It can be read here.

Insite Press Conference

The fact that the INCB still carries on trumpeting this false information ten years after the UN’s legal opinion was sought makes a mockery of the INCB’s integrity and credibility.

Here is the offending paragraph from the INCB report:

437. In September 2011, the Supreme Court of Canada handed down its judgement with respect to the applicability of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to a supervised drug injection facility in Vancouver. The facility had been allowed to operate due to an exemption to the application of the law for “medical or scientific purposes” that had been granted by a previous Government. The Court ruled against the Government’s decision to refuse to extend the injection facility’s legal exemption, thereby allowing the facility to continue to operate. The Board reiterates that under international law, provisions of national law cannot be invoked to justify non-compliance with the international drug control treaties to which a State has become a party. The Board further reiterates its position that drug injection and consumption outlets that allow illicit drug possession and use are not in line with the international drug control conventions, to which Canada is a party.

Damon Barrett set the record straight for the INCB with this statement:

The recent Canadian Supreme Court decision on Vancouver’s safe injection facility is criticized as running contrary to article 27 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. This states that national law cannot be used to justify non-compliance with international legal obligations. This is true. But the Canadian Supreme Court Case was decided on the basis of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a constitutional document. As the Board is aware, article 3(2) of the 1988 Convention relating to the requirement to criminalize possession for personal use is subject to States parties’ constitutional principles. Similar wording is used in relation to the penal provisions of the 1961 Single Convention. In addition, in 2002, the UNDCP legal affairs team stated in an opinion on the matter that such interventions do not breach the conventions.

INCB-legal-brief

Vienna International Centre

As such, there is no conflict between the Canadian Supreme Court ruling and the drug conventions. These provisions of the treaties, however, and the UNDCP opinion are not referred to in the Board’s analysis of the case. We would welcome clarification of the Board’s view of the Canadian Supreme Court decision in the light of these terms of the drug conventions and its view of the 2002 UNDCP opinion.

To Canada’s credit the Canadian delegation also spoke up and let the plenary know that Canada was indeed in full compliance with all of the international treaties pertaining to drug control. Now that this mater is settled in the international arena, we look forward to our Justice Minister Nicholson reaffirming these facts for the Canadian public.

April 2, 2012
NAOMI Research Survivors: Experiences and Recommendations
On March 31st, 2012 the NAOMI Patients Association (NPA) will celebrate the completion of their first research report, NAOMI Research Survivors: Experiences and Recommendations. To mark the occasion, they are having an open house on Saturday, March 31st at noon at the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), 380 East Hastings Street, in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) of Vancouver, BC where they will be sharing their report and celebrating their achievement. All are welcome and snacks and copies of the report will be available.

The Background

Dave Murray

In January 2011, Dave Murray organized a group of former participants from the North American Opiate Medication Initiative (NAOMI) heroin-assisted treatment clinical trial in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, now known as the NAOMI Patients Association (NPA).

The NPA is an independent group that meets every Saturday at the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) offices. The NPA has reached out to all former NAOMI participants in the heroin stream of the clinical trial and offers support, education, and advocacy to its members. Although attendance at weekly meetings varies, the highest attendance at a meeting was 44 members. On average, 15 members gather each week.

The NPA is also associated with the British Columbia Association of People On Methadone (BCAPOM).

Mission of the NPA

The mission of the NPA is stated as:
We are a unique group of former NAOMI research participants dedicated to:
- Support for each other;
- Advocacy;
- Educating peers and the public;
- Personal and political empowerment;
- Advising future studies (heroin and other drugs) and permanent programs;
- Improvements in consent and ethics;
- The right to a stable life and to improvement in quality of life.
The NPA’s goal is to see alternative and permanent public treatments and programs implemented in Canada, including heroin assistance programs.

The Research

In March of 2011 the NPA decided to undertake their own research project focused on their experiences as NAOMI research participants. They met with me, Susan Boyd, a drug policy researcher and activist, and decided to work together to conduct focus groups, brainstorming sessions, and writing workshops with NPA members. The NPA adopted the words below to further guide their own research project. They are written by long-time DTES activist Sandy Cameron who passed away last year, from his poem, Telling Stories.

Telling Stories
We need to tell our own stories.
If we don’t tell our stories,
people with power
will tell our stories for us.
It is from this place that the NPA began their own research, to tell their own story in their own words.

NPA Research Findings

Five primary themes emerged from the research:
- Beneficial outcomes of being a participant in NAOMI,
- Problematic outcomes of being a participant in NAOMI,
- Ethics and Consent,
- Creative writing/Everyday life, and
- Recommendations for other research projects and programs.
The NPA’s report, NAOMI Research Survivors: Experiences and Recommendations, expands on these themes and much more. The full report is available here.
March 21, 2012