Given the overdose crisis, this means taking proactive preventive action. We need to work on risk factors faced by young people, protective measures starting in childhood and socio‑economic conditions. These are known as the structural determinants of health.
There's also the whole issue of trauma in indigenous communities. The more we work proactively, the more we can build a society that protects our children and young people.
However, in the case of the overdose crisis, we must work a bit less on health determinants and a bit more on harm reduction, up to and including treatment. We must try to reduce the negative impact of drug use on individuals. This means implementing a range of services to reduce deaths and overdoses. We must bear in mind that, even though overdoses fortunately don't always kill people, they do lead to complications. We must also take into account treatment and everything that affects people's skills.
This means implementing a continuum of services. In terms of the health determinants that require proactive steps, we must opt for a preventive approach to help us identify the risk factors and protective factors surrounding consumption and harm reduction.