Contrasting studies show possible impact of safer supply in B.C.

published on April 11, 2024 by Brenna Owen in CBC News

Peer-reviewed research is emerging about the possible effects of British Columbia’s safer supply program, with two studies in international medical journals casting the strategy in a different light.

One found the program — which provides prescription alternatives to toxic illicit drugs — was associated with a reduced risk of death from overdose and other causes among opioid-using participants, while the other concluded the strategy was associated with a significant increase in opioid overdose hospitalizations across the community.

The authors of the studies say the two sets of results aren’t contradictory; instead, they ask different questions about the policy, which was introduced in 2020.

Safer supply has since become a lightning rod for critics, including federal Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre, who has pledged to shut it down if he becomes prime minister…