'There is no safe use': Sask. government defends decision to restrict harm reduction measures

The Government of Saskatchewan is defending its decision to restrict funding for several harm reduction measures last month.

The provincial government believes it was sending the wrong message by providing pipes to inhale drugs and supporting needle exchange programs.

“It somehow implies that illicit drug use is safe and it’s not safe. There is no safe use of illicit drugs,” Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Tim McLeod told CTV News.

Needle exchange programs will be required to operate on purely on an exchange base – meaning that used needles will need to be returned in order for any to be provided.

Under the new approach, crack pipes and other associated supplies will no longer by provided through public health funding.

“The model had really drifted from an exchange model to more of a distribution model over time and that was an unauthorized shift so we’re just putting that back where it was originally intended,” McLeod added.

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The government’s shift means harm reduction clinics will now have to purchase supplies that were previously publicly funded.

“They were providing us with our needles, with our pipes, our tourniquets, our alcohol swabs, our waters and our cookers,” Executive Director of the Newo-Yotina Friendship Centre Teresa Innis explained.

Regina’s harm reduction clinic is city sponsored. However, the centre will need to change its operations to make do with the loss of funding.

“So we are going to be fundraising but we are also going to be looking at possibly having to scale back our operational hours to compensate for the approximately $2,000 to $4,000 a month that it’s going to cost to replenish supplies,” she added.

Some professionals fear the government is inadvertently getting rid of on-ramps to recovery.

“When they come in to get a pipe we get to ask a lot of questions about whether or not they are ready for recovery and it’s a stepwise approach,” explained pharmacist Sarah Kozusko.

“People don’t just walk in off the street day one and be like you know I’m ready to stop. They kind of need to be taken in slowly into care.”

The government believes the increase in drug overdose deaths in 2023 pointed to a need for a changed approach.

It’s backing its renewed approach up with plans for 500 new recovery spaces and wrap around community supports.