Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs

Finally this site has launched A tangible way to help rural substance users to stay safe from overdosing. Peer led initiatives are always the best Please share with anyone who would benefit from using this service or volunteer your time at www.nors.ca

Correctional Service Canada is reporting a major COVID-19 outbreak in a Kingston prison. The department says at least 80 inmates at the Joyceville Institution have tested positive for COVID-19. All staff and employees have been offered testing for the novel coronavirus and the agency says it is closely monitoring the situation.... It also says all employees are actively screened before entering its institutions. COVID-19 outbreaks have been reported in a number of federal and provincial correctional institutions. Correctional Service Canada says all employees and inmates have been given medical masks and face shields.

Addressing the Syndemic of HIV, Hepatitis C, Overdose, and COVID-19 Among People Who Use Drugs: The Potential Roles for Decriminalization and Safe Supply. New publication written by Matthew Bonn, Adam Palayew, Dr. Sofia Bartlett, Dr. Tommy Brothers, Natasha Touesnard & Dr. Mark Tyndall in the JSAD, The Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Open access link below! https://www.jsad.com/doi/full/10.15288/jsad.2020.81.556

https://filtermag.org/harm-reduction-satellite-sites/ "The whole system is broken and we need to fix it. Such complex, intersecting issues have no single, simple solution. Legally regulating all drugs for all purposes, decriminalizing the people who use them, and working, in many ways, to create an equitable society are among the answers, but there are others, too." Written by Rhiannon Thomas & Patrick MacDougall via Filter - magazine.

https://www.vice.com//toronto-regina-among-cities-willing- And if you’re not ready yet, that’s OK. We’ll do this, we’ll do it right and save lives and hopefully then other jurisdictions can follow our lead.

People who use drugs experience structural, social and self stigma on a daily basis in unwarranted discrimination. Let’s end it now! Thanks to the wonderful @candrugpolicy for the great graphics! #Canadian #DrugPolicy #HarmReduction #Overdose #Prevention #SafeSupply #EndStigma

CSSDP is having their Annual General Meeting tomorrow night! Don’t miss out!

New research from British Columbia has found a direct link between women who have a child removed from their custody and the increased likelihood those mothers will experience an unintentional overdose especially if they are Indigenous..

"Changes to the way the opioid overdose antidote naloxone is classified in Manitoba will allow stores to sell it off the shelf without the supervision of a health-care professional, the provincial government announced on Wednesday. Currently, naloxone is classified as a Schedule II drug in Manitoba, meaning it can only be sold in pharmacies and must be handed out by a health-care professional, such as a pharmacist. Legislative changes will make naloxone an unscheduled drug, m...eaning naloxone overdose kits can be sold at any retail outlets, making it easier to access. Addictions advocates have called on the government to make the life-saving drug easier to access. Emergency calls related to opioids have surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, and paramedics in Winnipeg have increasingly used naloxone to treat suspected opioid cases. Making the drug easier to access will reduce stigma and encourage those who need it to take it, Health Minister Cameron Friesen said in a news release. "Delisting naloxone brings this critical life-saving medication into the hands of Manitobans, and improving its accessibility is another step in combatting the opioid crisis that is afflicting so many of our loved ones," Dr. Ginette Poulin, medical director with the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, said in a news release. The provincial government introduced a program in 2017 that allowed take-home naloxone kits to be sold in Manitoba pharmacies. There were 125 registered sites for selling naloxone in Manitoba as of November. Earlier this month, the province passed the Opioid Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act, enabling it to join a class-action lawsuit brought by British Columbia against 40 drug manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of opioids in Canada."

Did you know Canada signed on to eliminate viral Hepatitis by 2030? CAPUD had our first Hepatitis C Point of Care Test event today! 15 people tested and linked to care via MOSH. Big shout out to them bringing the van over to take peoples blood on the spot! #Hepatitis #Point of #Care #Testing #Elimination #DrugPolicy #HarmReduction #SafeSupply #Overdose #Prevention #Canada

https://streetrx.com/ca If you are using anywhere new check out Street RX for prices!

https://www.thechronicleherald.ca//deadly-fentanyl-overdo/ Instead, we should have a safe supply program here in Nova Scotia, she said, which would be a doctor prescribing hydromorphone tablets or even diacetylmorphine for individuals who are using street-sourced substances and are at high risk for overdose and overdose death. - Natasha Touesnard

Thank you @katelacourart for this excellent art work.

HOW TO REMOTE SPOT SOMEONE WHO USES DRUGS: Let's keep everyone safe and secure over the holidays. Thank you for Natalie Kaminski's expertise for her life saving knowledge!

Join them for this one hour presentation during National Addictions Awareness Week. https://www.ccsa.ca/national-addictions-awareness-week In this interactive ZOOM seminar, Moms Stop The Harm co-founder Petra Schulz will show how families can use personal stories to open hearts and change minds. Petra lost her 25-year-old son, Danny, to accidental fentanyl poisoning in 2014. Through the lessons learned from her personal experience and by sharing Danny's story, Petra has beco...me an advocate for drug policy reform to reduce the harm associated with substance use. She believes that substance use is a matter involving human rights and health and must not be criminalized. This seminar is open to MSTH members and the public. A link to the event will be sent on November 24, 2020 to all registered participants. Registration is required: https://forms.gle/hDZ5CVe1kkgiepKo7

Amazing little treasure made by Shane from Riverstone for us. This is our guiding principle, and working with people who use drugs this is universal to us all.

Tomorrow! #StimulusConnect is co-hosted Walking the Walk / Quand les bottines suivent les babines with Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs and will inc...lude (L2R) Frank, Natasha and Shanell (second picture) who will be speaking to their leadership roles in the planning and implementation of #Stimulus2018, including sharing info we haven't shared publicly before. Frank Crichlow has been a harm reduction worker for over 12 years with COUNTERfit harm reduction program at South Riverdale Community Health Centre - SRCHC . In his role at COUNTERfit he provides both on and off-site harm reduction education, referrals and distribution. Frank has worked at both @South Riverdale #SCS (keepSIX) and the Toronto Overdose Prevention Society at both the Moss Park and Parkdale unsanctioned sites. He is the acting President of the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs and a member of the City of Toronto Confronting Anti-Black Racism committee and the Drug Court Advisory. Frank is a community activist! Conferences don't worry about this as much as they should. Frank will speak to the supervised consumption that he and the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs managed. Still time to Register: https://forms.gle/f7qVcovdoQCUVXkg6