Federal petition launched to abolish failed 'safer' supply program

As news swirls that the Liberals failed $1 billion safer illicit drug supply strategy has not yielded any tangible results as overdoses rage on, concerned citizens are now calling on the federal government to abolish the strategy.

Health Petition 4930 calls on the federal government to "reform or abolish the safer supply strategy and safe injection sites" and instead "focus federal funding on strategies that break the cycle of addiction and supports community safety."

It points out that these strategies "foster illegal drug resale, increase crime, and encourage youth addiction."

Government-funded advocacy groups operate unofficial drug use sites in Cobourg, ON, amid a surge in crime & burgeoning encampment situation

They welcome minors to a "safe place," promoting illicit drug use under the guise of reducing stigma

Full report:https://t.co/nUQy7UyHLz pic.twitter.com/YrZaXm8lrp

— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) January 17, 2024

Despite the massive amount of taxpayer funds being allocated to the implementation of harm reduction strategies, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has recorded unprecedented overdoses which are predominantly linked to opioid use. Figures have more than tripled in the last decade, becoming especially exacerbated after the Canadian Drug and Substance Supply Strategy (CDSS) was "first announced in 2016."

The petition stresses the fact that healthcare professionals and drug addiction experts have been censored in favour of those who have unequivocally adhered to the theory of freely supplied "safe" drugs being somehow beneficial to struggling addicts.

British Columbia-based clinical psychologist and addiction expert Julian Somers is among those censored for connecting data that showed the inherent harm associated with the oxymoronic term "harm reduction."

Of particular concern are safe injection sites, which have faced scrutiny and even lawsuits for failing to curtail opioid use and instead putting public safety and the community that surrounds them, at risk.

Many safe injection sites have been established near schools and public parks, and the vicinity of these sites has fuelled illegal drug resale, contributing to rising crime rates and normalizing addiction to youth under the guise of "reducing the sigma."

As a result, concerned citizens are demanding to reform or abolish the safer supply strategy, urging the government to break the cycle of addiction through the expansion of successful programs like Ontario’s Opioid Agonist Therapy Services pilot project and its injectable Opioid Agonist Therapy that focuses on reducing addiction through ongoing medical monitoring and care.

As the nation grapples with the devastating toll of addiction, there are grassroots movements in cities and towns all across Canada that are seeking to hold the government accountable for the destruction of the failed federal drug strategy and restore community safety for all.