Ottawa insists safe supply drugs saving lives, downplays resale problem

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OTTAWA – The federal government says it is aware that drugs handed out for free are being resold on the streets to fund illicit purchases of opioids, but says it is a marginal problem compared to the lives being saved by its “safer supply” program.

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“We have always known that diversion is a problem (happening in small quantities), but it is a very manageable problem compared to the lives that are being saved by the people using the safe supply,” said Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett on Wednesday.

Bennett was responding to a National Post investigation published last week by columnist Adam Zivo, who examined the controversial initiative that provides drug users with government-funded substitutes — most notably the opioid hydromorphone — as an alternative to street drugs.

Over the past four months, Zivo spoke to experts, many of whom chose to stay anonymous, where much of the drugs handed out in such programs were being re-sold on the street — usually to fund illicit purchases of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl.

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“We know that there has been an issue with diversion, but we really do believe that safe supply is an evidence-based approach in saving lives,” insisted Bennett.

Zivo’s reporting on the issue has led to heated debates in the House of Commons in recent days.

On Tuesday, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre asked the government if it would cancel its “safer supply” program and instead put the resources into treatment for drug addicts, but the Liberals have argued that his approach would go against “evidence-based” solutions.

“We cannot allow the Conservatives to take us back to the failed ideology of the past,” said Bennett. “So just stop it and save lives.”

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Poilievre replied that “people are dying because the policies of the prime minister are killing them.”

Bennett shot back, saying that “people have to stay alive long enough to get to treatment,” but are instead dying because of the drug supply they find on the streets.

The Conservatives are bringing forward a motion that will be debated on Thursday in an attempt to end the government-funded drug supply and redirect all the funds to recovery and treatment.

It is really important that Canadians understand how difficult it is to save lives in the face of the toxic drug supply

Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett

Bennett said she is looking forward to getting “the facts out” and explaining why the government’s initiative to provide safer drugs is a better solution than cutting off supply for drug users, and having them go off in the streets searching for a more dangerous fix.

“It is really important that Canadians understand how difficult it is to save lives in the face of the toxic drug supply, and how important it is that we use all the tools at our disposal,” she said.

Bennett said supervised consumption sites have prevented 46,000 overdoses since 2017, and it would be ill-advised to simply focus on the re-selling of government-funded drugs.

“This is something that we will address, but right now, with the toxicity of the drug supply, we have to do everything we can to save lives and that’s what we’re doing,” she said.