Implementation of pharmaceutical alternatives to a toxic drug supply in British Columbia: A mixed methods study

North America has been in an unrelenting overdose crisis for almost a decade. British Columbia (BC), Canada declared a public health emergency due to overdoses in 2016. Risk Mitigation Guidance (RMG) for prescribing pharmaceutical opioids, stimulants and benzodiazepine alternatives to the toxic drug supply ( “safer supply”) was implemented in March 2020 in an attempt to reduce harms of COVID-19 and overdose deaths in BC during dual declared public health emergencies. Our objective was to describe early implementation of RMG among prescribers in BC.

Source: Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment - March 13, 2024 Category: Addiction Authors: Bernadette Pauly, Megan Kurz, Laura M. Dale, Celeste Macevicius, Jeremy Kalicum, Daniel Gudi ño Pérez, Jane McCall, Karen Urbanoski, Brittany Barker, Amanda Slaunwhite, Morgan Lindsay, Bohdan Nosyk Source Type: research