B.C. ends take-home ‘safer supply’ for drug users to stop diversion

British Columbia’s health minister has announced that the province is changing its Prescribed Alternatives Program to a witnessed model, in which users will be watched as they consume the drugs.

Minister Josie Osborne says the “significant” change to end the take-home model will be difficult for some, but is designed to reduce the criminal diversion of prescribed alternatives.

Harm reduction and recovery expert Guy Felicella says diversion is not nearly as widespread as politicians would have British Columbians believe. He says the ministry is focused on the wrong issue.

“If the program needs tweaking, then we tweak it. It’s a very valuable tool for a lot of people. And one thing is: it’s not causing death,” Felicella explained, pointing instead to the toxicity in the unregulated drug supply.

While he’s pleased that the program hasn’t been cancelled outright, Felicella says the witnessed-consumption model is as good as an end to the program for some drug users.

He argues the change will put unfair requirements on people who have already successfully transitioned from using unregulated drugs to prescribed medications, and likely perturb anyone thinking of making the switch.

“How are you going to make it to a pharmacy seven days a week?”

The change to the program comes on the heels of a recently leaked Ministry of Health document that says a “significant portion” of opioids prescribed by doctors and pharmacists are being diverted and that prescribed alternatives are being trafficked provincially, nationally and internationally.

The province says the number of people on the Prescribed Alternatives Program peaked at almost 5,200 patients in March 2023, and decreased to fewer than 3,900 in December last year. In the same month, the province says that population of drug users made up just 3 per cent of all British Columbians prescribed an opioid medication.

Felicella says the response is disproportionate, targeting the less than 4,000 opioid users in the program for the actions of the unknown few who may be involved in diversion, and with no acknowledgement that opioid users not involved in the program could be responsible.

“Diversion has always happened. However, for the ones that are diverting the pills, you would be punishing everybody in the program, right? And again, it’s a very small program. I keep trying to say this to people. There’s not many people on it,” said Felicella.

Osborne tells 1130 NewsRadio that the move will “strengthen the trust in this program.”

The health minister admits that prescribed alternatives make up a very small portion of the opioids in the province, but says it’s “important to balance the need to keep people safe; to limit the diversion of prescribed alternatives to places that we’ve never intended.”

When asked if she thinks the change will force opioid users back to an unregulated supply, Osborne answered indirectly, claiming the program has always been focused on transitioning people off the program.

She says the province will work with clinicians and prescribers to help program patients transition to other treatment and medications that don’t need to be taken as often.

“That will take a little bit of time to do, but we’re deeply committed to doing that, and it is part of a Prescribed Alternative Program that people can have trust in, we can strengthen, and we can continue to take action where activity that should not be taking place is happening,” said Osborne.

—With files from The Canadian Press

You can watch CityNews 24/7 live or listen live to 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver to keep up to date with this story. You can also subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.