"Safe Supply" Initiatives: Are They a Recipe for Harm Through Reduced Health Care Input and Supply-Induced Toxicity and Overdose?

Roberts E, Humphreys K. "Safe Supply" Initiatives: Are They a Recipe for Harm Through Reduced Health Care Input and Supply-Induced Toxicity and Overdose? Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs. 2023 Jul 1; 84(4):644-647.

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• RCS 04-141 – Evaluating Treatment & Self-help Methods of Improving Functioning & Quality of Life Outcomes of Patients with Substance Abuse Disorders

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Abstract:

Within the addiction field, some advocates support a suite of de-regulatory policies that aim to reduce harm by providing people who use drugs with a "safe supply" of pharmaceutical-grade medications. Such initiatives have commenced without the evidence standards normally used to label medication provision as "safe." This perspective suggests that continued debate and research in this area acknowledge the potential toxicity of any provided safe supply medications and highlights that these initiatives could result in an unhelpful reduction in interactions between people who use drugs and health care professionals.