Thank you, Mr. Johns.
We all know how easy it is to get any illicit drugs anywhere in the country. Drug dealers don't check IDs. I gave the example of the young Olivia who died.
In terms of safe supply, there are huge barriers for people who need this to save their lives. In British Columbia, where it is available, it takes a prescriber who is willing to work with the person. Only a small number of people in British Columbia, roughly 5% of the people who could benefit from it, are on safe supply. In Alberta, thanks to a court injunction, we have one person left on safe supply who thankfully is doing well. She would be dead today, she told me, if it weren't for the court injunction.
We throw huge barriers in people's way for a life-saving measure, whereas it is easy to buy on the street. It is too often lethal. We also ignore that the people who die are not only those who need treatment; they're also people who use occasionally. They're people who use just once, like young Olivia. These are the people we need to see as well. That is where issues like drug-checking are important. We need to remove the barriers to save lives and implement evidence-based measures. Otherwise, the numbers in this country will continue to climb.
At the same time, we should start making treatment immediately available when somebody wants to work on prevention. What nobody talks about in prevention is poverty and the influence of poverty. You don't have prevention with just some education programs. You have to make sure that people have good lives.