OTTAWA, ON (May 29, 2025):
In 2021, 7,328 Canadians died of opioid-related overdoses – up from 3,023 Canadians in 2016. This dramatic rise in opioid deaths comes despite the expansion of “safe supply” policies over that same period, which proponents claimed would reduce harm by ensuring a “right” to clean drugs.
In Moving the needle: How “safe supply” became Canada’s answer to the opioid crisis, why it failed, and how we can do better, Dr. Lori Regenstreif traces the evolution of Canada’s opioid crisis and looks at the unscientific and ideological motivations behind safe supply policy.
“What Canada has chosen to do to address opioid overdose is unique,” explains Dr. Regenstreif, a specialist in addiction medicine.
“No other country would envision a policy in which people with opioid addiction are simply given bottles of opioid pills with the assumption that this will solve their risk of overdose death.”
According to Dr. Regenstreif, a new approach to effective drug policy must be evidence-based and balance four crucial pillars: prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and enforcement. This approach addresses not only the harms of opioid use but also the root causes and factors that have perpetuated the crisis.
“To be successful… policy-makers need to return to a science-based, objective approach to policy, funding, and evaluation,” writes Dr. Regenstreif.
“Only then can we hope to create a system that truly supports recovery, reduces harm, and fosters healthier communities.”
To learn more, read the full paper here:
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Skander Belouizdad
Communications Officer
613-482-8327 x111
skander.belouizdad@macdonaldlaurier.ca
