BC’s Representative for Children and Youth still believes supervised drug sites for teens is the way to go despite some recent opposition from Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Mike Morris.
Dr. Jennifer Charlesworth says kids are using drugs and the only way to prevent them from overdosing is to offer these sites.
She disputes the claim it would encourage more drug use but would act as another resource for kids who aren’t ready for treatment.
“It’s really for those young people who after everything else that we have available is not working for them and they continue to use substances until we can connect them more successfully to services such as treatment, we want to keep them alive and we want to keep them safe.”
My Prince George Now interviewed Morris on this topic on Monday who also went on say giving youth the same access to get high similar to adults who are addicted to opioids and other substances is a losing proposition.
However, Charlesworth disagrees.
“There is no evidence to suggest that it encourages drug use but what there is evidence of is that it keeps them alive while they are on their journey towards hope so they can get a better outcome in accessing treatment.”
“What we need to do is make sure they have access to services and supports including detox, including treatment but from a harm reduction point of view it might mean things like a youth centre where they can come and maybe get their drugs tested, maybe have access to a nurse practitioner or physician to get health care, and possibly have someone to address their trauma as well as if they are going to use do so in a way that someone is available to revive them if they overdose.”
The back and forth debate also led Morris to bring up a private member’s bill that was put forth by the BC Liberals on the Safe Care Act, which has not gotten any traction from the NDP.
Charlesworth has been a part of this argument for a long time and while she does not oppose the idea, it might not be the best course of action for BC.
“I have been involved in the Safe Care debate for over 20 years. I’m constantly looking for the evidence for what’s most effective for young people in helping them deal with very significant addictions. Opioid addiction is a very serious addiction and is very hard to break. What the evidence is coming out of other provinces is that secure care is not working very well for young people and n fact, in one province, half of the young people who died in the last year we’re in secure care or had just been released from secure care because their tolerance level had diminished nut they had gone back to using as they did before.”
“I am not opposed to thinking about secure care as an option but I would rather figure out ways of earlier intervention and not put children in a situation in which they are forced into involuntary care.”
She adds a lot of times youth end up using substances as a coping mechanism to deal with certain stresses and other personal issues such as trauma, emotional or another family member currently using drugs.