On January 18, 2022, The Ontario Drug Policy Research Network, The Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario / Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, and Public Health Ontario published a report analyzing overdose and poisoning deaths in the province. To promote the report and its findings, MSTH is using the following imagery for social media.
Each image contains these parts:
-MSTH national 2022 slogan “Safe Supply Now”
-quote from the report demonstrating the issues
-reference to the report
-message that Ontario could stop the harm
Under each image below, you will find suggested text to post along with the image. The suggested text usually contains a call to action either for the ON government or health care leadership.
The report is available here and a link to the report should be included with each post.
To download an image, right click on it and choose ‘Save image as’. To copy the suggested text, highlight it, right click on it, then choose ‘copy.’
Long read Safe supply takes many forms. Hydromorphone is an opiate that physicians in Ontario may prescribe for people with Opioid Use Disorders. This gives people access to a regulated, known substance, instead of the tainted drug supply. Unfortunately, it’s very hard for people who need safe supply to get hydromorphone or other prescription-based safe drugs. Ontario needs to make hydromorphone more accessible. MSTH calls on Ontario’s health system leadership to improve access to hydromorphone. Read the full Ontario Public Health report released in January 2022 here; https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/c/2022/opioid-related-toxicity-deaths-healthcare-report.pdf?sc_lang=en
Short read Hydromorphone is a prescribed opiate that’s safe and effective for people with Opioid Use Disorder. But, it’s too hard for people to get this safer alternative to the toxic drug supply. MSTH calls on Ontario’s health system leadership to improve access to hydromorphone. https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/c/2022/opioid-related-toxicity-deaths-healthcare-report.pdf?sc_lang=en
The Opioid Crisis has gotten worse during the pandemic. An unregulated toxic drug supply continues to flourish even though more and more people agree that we can create a safer drug supply in Canada. MSTH call on the government of Ontario to urgently bring in a framework for safe supply.
Missed opportunities. The health system in Ontario is failing people who use drugs. We call on Ontario’s health system leadership to integrate care for people at risk of overdose or poisoning into hospital and primary care settings and to remove the barriers to accessing harm reduction services. Read the full Ontario Public Health report released in January 2022 here; https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/c/2022/opioid-related-toxicity-deaths-healthcare-report.pdf?sc_lang=en
Missed opportunities. Even though Opioid Agonist Therapy can effectively save the lives of people with Opioid Use Disorder, people face barriers to access and barriers to success of the therapies. People who use drugs know what these barriers are and how to remove them. We call on the government of Ontario to heed the advice of people who use drugs and reduce the barriers to Opioid Agonist Therapy. Read the full Ontario Public Health report released in January 2022 here; https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/c/2022/opioid-related-toxicity-deaths-healthcare-report.pdf?sc_lang=en
Most overdoses and drug poisoning in Ontario are from the unregulated, toxic drug supply. Yet, we know that our government could destroy the deadly tainted black market through regulation. We call on the government of Ontario to create and implement a safe supply framework. Read the full Ontario Public Health report released in January 2022 here; https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/c/2022/opioid-related-toxicity-deaths-healthcare-report.pdf?sc_lang=en
Long read The unregulated drug supply in Ontario is tainted with the highly toxic opioid fentanyl. You can’t smell or taste fentanyl when it’s cut into other substances. It doesn’t have to be this way. Our governments created the black market for drugs and our government could now destroy this deadly tainted and lucrative trade through regulation. We call on the government of Ontario to create and implement a safe supply framework that includes decriminalization of people who use drugs and regulation of the drug supply. Read the full Ontario Public Health report released in January 2022 here; https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/c/2022/opioid-related-toxicity-deaths-healthcare-report.pdf?sc_lang=en
Short read The unregulated drug supply in Ontario is tainted with the highly toxic opioid fentanyl. We call on the government of Ontario to create and implement a safe supply framework that includes decriminalization of people who use drugs and regulation of the drug supply. https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/c/2022/opioid-related-toxicity-deaths-healthcare-report.pdf?sc_lang=en
Archie MV 