Thank you very much for the question.
I believe so.
I think that risk and harm reduction has a proven track record in Montreal. A recent newspaper article reported that there were no fatal overdoses at the supervised consumption site featured in the story. I've been working on the ground in the streets of Montreal for nearly 20 years. In the past, we didn't have access to naloxone. Today, more and more people, including the general public, are obtaining naloxone because they feel it's important to be able to save lives. It does save lives. People administer naloxone in the event of an unfortunate overdose or drug poisoning.
As you say, it's not always people who use opiates who are poisoned. Some drugs are contaminated, hence the need for safe supply programs where people who use drugs at least have access to clean or less dangerous drugs.
When I worked in detox, I saw the results of the repressive approach, such as forcing someone to stop using. People would avoid jail time by coming to detox. They would do their time, and then they would go back to using.
The detox approach works very well when people are ready to stop using, when they've made the decision to do so, when they've reached that point. They will probably go through difficult times and relapses, hence the importance of intervention groups being close to these individuals to support and guide them without judgment.