Policy Type

Policy endorsement

Date

2018-08-30

Topics

Pharmaceuticals/ prescribing/ cannabis/ marijuana/ drugs

Text

Dear Premier Ford and Minister Elliott: We write to you as organizations concerned about the health and welfare of some of the most vulnerable Ontarians, following reports that your government plans to undertake an unnecessary review of the evidence on supervised consumption sites (SCS),1 and the even more troubling announcement that you are imposing a moratorium on the approval of new overdose prevention sites (OPS).2 All the available evidence, including substantial peer-reviewed scientific literature, demonstrates conclusively that these health services save lives and promote the health of people who use drugs. This includes opening doors to treatment. Rather than conduct an unnecessary review and delay expansion of these services, the Ontario government should work with community organizations and health providers to rapidly scale up these services. Delays mean more preventable overdose deaths and new infections of HIV, hepatitis C and other illnesses that could be averted. Multiple reviews of the evidence have already been done, and have established that SCS and OPS:

provide a needed health service, reducing overdose deaths and the sharing of drug-injection equipment (and the associated risk of transmission of blood-borne infections);

increase access to addiction treatment and other necessary health services; and

benefit public order by reducing public injecting.3 As you know, Canada is experiencing a large-scale opioid overdose crisis. In Ontario alone, overdose deaths related to opioids increased by 45 per cent in 2017, with more than three people dying every day during that year.4 The opioid overdose epidemic has been called “the worst drug safety crisis in Canadian history.”5 HIV, hepatitis C and other infections, as well as overdose deaths, are preventable if the right measures are taken. These include increasing voluntary access to treatment for problematic drug use (where Ontario must do better), and also simultaneously scaling up evidence-based harm reduction services such as SCS and OPS. We urge you to heed the recommendations of experts in public health, front-line clinicians, harm reduction staff, and people with lived experience of drug use. Rather than impeding access to life-saving health services, we urge you to work with community organizations and other health services providers to ensure greater, equitable access to SCS and OPS for the people of Ontario. Signed: Aboriginal Legal Services ACAS—Asian Community AIDS Services Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights Addiction Services of Thames Valley Addictions and Mental Health Ontario Africans in Partnership Against AIDS AIDS Coalition of Nova Scotia AIDS Committee of North Bay and Area AIDS Committee of Toronto AIDS Committee of Windsor AIDS Committee of York Region AIDS Vancouver Island Alliance for Healthier Communities Atlantic Interdisciplinary Research Network on Hepatitis C and HIV Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention Breakaway Addiction Services Broadbent Institute Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network) CACTUS Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network Canadian AIDS Society Canadian Association of Community Health Centres Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network Canadian Medical Association Canadian Mental Health Association—Thunder Bay Branch Canadian Nurses Association Canadian Positive People Network Canadian Public Health Association Canadian Research Initiative on Substance Misuse—Prairie Node Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy Canadian Treatment Action Council Casey House CATIE Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Centre for Social Innovation Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic Community Legal Assistance Sarnia Community Legal Services of Ottawa / Services juridiques communautaires d’Ottawa Community YWCA Muskoka Courage Co-Lab Inc. Direction 180 Dopamine Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation Elevate NWO Elgin-Oxford Legal Clinic Four Counties Addiction Services Team Gerstein Crisis Centre Guelph Community Health Centre Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge Drug Strategy Halifax Area Network of Drug Using People (HANDUP) Harm Reduction Nurses Association Health Providers Against Poverty HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario HIV Edmonton HIV/AIDS Regional Services HIV/AIDS Resources and Community Health Houselink Community Homes Housing Action Now! Huron Perth Community Legal Clinic Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) Injured Workers Community Legal Clinic Inner City Health and Wellness Program Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development (ICAD) Kensington-Bellwoods Community Legal Services Lake Country Community Legal Clinic Lakeside HOPE House Lanark County Interval House L’Anonyme Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County Maggie’s Toronto Sexwork Action Project Maison Fraternité Mission Services of Hamilton Inc. Mississauga Community Legal Services MODIFY: Drug Insight From Youth Moms Stop the Harm mumsDU - moms united and mandated to saving the lives of Drug Users Native Youth Sexual Health Network Neighbourhood Legal Services London & Middlesex Nipissing Community Legal Clinic OHIP for All Ontario AIDS Network (OAN) Ontario Nurses’ Association Ontario Positive Asians (OPA+) Ottawa Salus Overdose Prevention Ottawa Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre Parkdale Community Legal Services Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre PASAN PHS Community Services Society Planned Parenthood Toronto Queer Ontario Racial Health Equity Network Realize Reelout Arts Project Regent Park Community Health Centre Regional HIV/AIDS Connection Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services Sandy Hill Community Health Centre South Riverdale Community Health Centre Stonegate Community Health Centre Street Health Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Ryerson Chapter Superior North Emergency Medical Service Syme Woolner Neighbourhood and Family Centre Tanner Steffler Foundation The AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Area The Children’s Aid Society of the District of Thunder Bay The Interfaith Coalition to Fight Homelessness The Mental Health Consumer Survivor Project for Simcoe County Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board Thunder Bay Drug Strategy Timmins-Temiskaming Community Legal Clinic Toronto Overdose Prevention Society Toronto People With AIDS Foundation Waterloo Region Community Legal Services WellFort Community Health Services West Neighbourhood House West Toronto Community Legal Services Women & HIV/AIDS Initiative, Ontario YW Kitchener–Waterloo YWCA Hamilton YWCA Niagara Region YWCA Toronto Endnotes 1 F. Merali, “PCs ‘playing politics with people’s lives’ on injection sites, drug policy expert warns,” CBC News, August 4, 2018. Available at: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/supervised-injection-sites-waiting-1.4771143. 2 K. Bueckert, “Ontario puts new overdose prevention sites approvals on hold,” CBC News, August 11, 2018. Available at: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/ontario-overdose-prevention-sites-approval-hold-1.4782132. 3 E.g., M. Kennedy, M. Karamouzian & T. Kerr. “Public Health and Public Order Outcomes Associated with Supervised Drug Consumption Facilities: A Systematic Review,” Current HIV/AIDS Reports, 2017; 14(5): 161-183, doi: 10.1007/s11904-017-0363-y. Available at: www.salledeconsommation.fr/_media/public-health-and-public-order-outcomes-associated-with-supervised-drug-consumption-facilities-a-systematic-review.pdf. 4 Public Health Ontario, “Opioid-related morbidity and mortality in Ontario,” May 23, 2018. Available at: www.publichealthontario.ca/en/dataandanalytics/pages/opioid.aspx#/trends. 5 Municipal Drug Strategy Coordinators’ Network of Ontario, “Opioid Epidemic: Call for Urgent Action That Can Save Lives Now,” December 9, 2015.

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Policy Type

Policy endorsement

Date

2017-05-26

Topics

Pharmaceuticals/ prescribing/ cannabis/ marijuana/ drugs

Text

Canada’s Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines (LRCUG) Recommendations

Cannabis use has health risks best avoided by abstaining

Delay taking up cannabis use until later in life

Identify and choose lower-risk cannabis products

Don’t use synthetic cannabinoids

Avoid smoking burnt cannabis—choose safer ways of using

If you smoke cannabis, avoid harmful smoking practices

Limit and reduce how often you use cannabis

Don’t use and drive, or operate other machinery

Avoid cannabis use altogether if you are at risk for mental health problems or are pregnant

Avoid combining these risks Reference summary Fischer, B., Russell, C., Sabioni, P., van den Brink, W., Le Foll, B., Hall, W., Rehm, J. & Room, R. (2017). Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines (LRCUG): An evidence-based update. American Journal of Public Health, 107(8). DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.303818. Endorsements summary The LRCUG have been endorsed by the following organizations: Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health (in principle) Acknowledgment The Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines (LRCUG) are an evidence-based intervention project by the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM), funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). A longer evidence summary of the guidelines, aimed at health professionals, is available at camh.ca. Cannabis use is a personal choice, but it comes with risks to your health and well-being. Follow these recommendations to reduce your risks. Cannabis use is a personal choice, but it comes with risks to your health and well-being. Follow these recommendations to reduce your risks. Health risks of cannabis use There is strong scientific evidence that cannabis use is associated with a variety of health risks. The risks depend on your constitution, which kinds of cannabis products you use and how or how often you use them. Some of the main health risks are:

problems with thinking, memory or physical co-ordination

impaired perceptions or hallucinations

fatal and non-fatal injuries, including those from motor-vehicle accidents, due to impairment

mental health problems and cannabis dependence

chronic respiratory or lung problems

reproductive problems. Reducing health risks related to cannabis use Cannabis use has health risks best avoided by abstaining To avoid all risks, do not use cannabis. If you decide to use, you could experience immediate, as well as long-term risks to your health and well-being. Any time you choose not to use, you avoid these risks. Delay taking up cannabis use until later in life Using cannabis at a young age, particularly before age 16, increases the likelihood of developing health, educational and social problems. Avoid cannabis use during adolescence. Generally, the later in life you begin to use cannabis, the lower the risk of problems. Identify and choose lower-risk cannabis products High-potency cannabis products, with high tetrahydro­cannabinol (THC) content, are more likely to result in harms. Some products contain a higher dose of canna­bidiol (CBD), which counteracts some of THC’s adverse effects. This means that products with high CBD-to-THC ratios reduce some of the risks. Know what you’re using. Ideally, choose cannabis products with lower risk of harms. Don’t use synthetic cannabinoids Compared with natural cannabis products, synthetic cannabis products (e.g., K2 or Spice) can lead to more severe health problems, even death. If you use, give preference to natural cannabis products and abstain from synthetics. Avoid smoking burnt cannabis—choose safer ways of using Smoking burnt cannabis, especially when combined with tobacco, can harm your lungs and respiratory system. Choose other methods, such as vaporizers or edibles instead—but recognize that they also come with some risks. For example, edibles are safer for your lungs, but you may consume larger doses and experience more severe impairment because psychoactive effects are delayed. If you smoke cannabis, avoid harmful smoking practices If you smoke cannabis, avoid “deep inhalation” or “breath-holding.” These practices are meant to increase psychoactive experiences, but they increase the amount of toxic material absorbed by your lungs and into your body. Limit and reduce how often you use cannabis Frequent cannabis use (i.e., daily or almost every day) is strongly linked to a higher risk of health and social problems. Limit yourself—and ideally your friends or others you may be using with—to occasional use, such as on weekends or one day a week at most. Don’t use and drive, or operate other machinery Driving while impaired by cannabis substantially increases your risk of being involved in a motor-vehicle accident resulting in injury or death. Don’t use and drive, or use other machinery. Wait at least six hours after using cannabis—or even longer if you need. Combining cannabis and alcohol further increases impairment, so be sure to avoid this combination if you plan to drive. Avoid cannabis use altogether if you are at risk for mental health problems or are pregnant Some individuals should not use cannabis because of specific risk profiles. If you or an immediate family mem­ber has a history of psychosis or substance use disorder, your risk of cannabis-related mental health problems increases, and you should abstain from use. Pregnant women should not use cannabis because it could harm the fetus or newborn. Avoid combining the risks identified above The more of these risky behaviours you engage in when using cannabis, the higher your risk of harms. For ex­ample, initiating cannabis use at a young age and smok­ing high-potency products every day puts you at much higher risk of both immediate and long-term problems. Avoid combining these high-risk choices. When choosing to use cannabis, you can actively take steps to reduce risks to your health. Below are 10 science-based recommendations for how to do so. These recommendations are aimed mainly at non-medical cannabis use. © 2017 CAMH 5638 / 06-2017

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Policy Type

Policy endorsement

Last Reviewed

2017-03-04

Date

2003-03-01

Topics

Health human resources

Text

Joint Statement on Scopes of Practice (February 2003) Canada's physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals recognize that a sustainable health workforce is a key challenge facing our health care system. In this regard, scopes of practice is an important issue that needs to be addressed. The Canadian Medical Association (CMA), the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) and the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) have approved the following principles and criteria for the determination of scopes of practice. The primary purposes of such determinations are to meet the health care needs of Canadians, and to serve the interests of patients and the public safely, efficiently and competently. The CPhA, CNA and CMA believe that policy decisions taken in this area must put patients first. Secondly, they should be grounded in principles that reflect our commitment to professionalism, lifelong learning and patient safety. Thirdly, that there be recognition of the need for legislative and regulatory changes to support evolving scopes of practice. Moreover, we believe that health professionals must be involved in decision-making processes in this area. Principles Focus: Scopes of practice statements should promote safe, ethical, high-quality care that responds to the needs of patients and the public in a timely manner, is affordable and is provided by competent health care providers. Flexibility: A flexible approach is required that enables providers to practise to the extent of their education, training, skills, knowledge, experience, competence and judgment while being responsive to the needs of patients and the public. Collaboration and cooperation: In order to support interdisciplinary approaches to patient care and good health outcomes, physicians, nurses and pharmacists engage in collaborative and cooperative practice with other health care providers who are qualified and appropriately trained and who use, wherever possible, an evidence-based approach. Good communication is essential to collaboration and cooperation. Coordination: A qualified health care provider should coordinate individual patient care. Patient choice: Scopes of practice should take into account patients' choice of health care provider. Criteria Accountability: Scopes of practice should reflect the degree of accountability, responsibility and authority that the health care provider assumes for the outcome of his or her practice. Education: Scopes of practice should reflect the breadth, depth and relevance of the training and education of the health care provider. This includes consideration of the extent of the accredited or approved educational program(s), certification of the provider and maintenance of competency. Competencies and practice standards: Scopes of practice should reflect the degree of knowledge, values, attitudes and skills (i.e., clinical expertise and judgement, critical thinking, analysis, problem solving, decision making, leadership) of the provider group. Quality assurance and improvement: Scopes of practice should reflect measures of quality assurance and improvement that have been implemented for the protection of patients and the public. Risk assessment: Scopes of practice should take into consideration risk to patients. Evidence-based practices: Scopes of practice should reflect the degree to which the provider group practices are based on valid scientific evidence where available. Setting and culture: Scopes of practice should be sensitive to the place, context and culture in which the practice occurs. Legal liability and insurance: Scopes of practice should reflect case law and the legal liability assumed by the health care provider including mutual professional malpractice protection or liability insurance coverage. Regulation: Scopes of practice should reflect the legislative and regulatory authority, where applicable, of the health care provider. Principles and criteria to ensure safe, competent and ethical patient care should guide the development of scopes of practice of health care providers. This document is based on a January 2002 policy developed by the Canadian Medical Association whicb has been endorsed by the Canadian Nurses Association and the Canadian Pharmacists Association. We welcome the support of other health care providers for these principles and criteria regarding scopes of practice.

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