Opioid abuse has been wreaking havoc across the country in recent years, including New Brunswick. But it would be wrong to believe that this public health issue is only present within large urban centers.
A lot of opioids are also consumed in the region. And as elsewhere, this consumption unfortunately transforms in certain cases into dependence and abuse.
This reality was presented to the municipal council of the Campbellton Regional Community by Ndèye Siga Sall, health coordinator for health zone 5.
“The Restigouche is going through the same crisis as everywhere in Canada. We see this even more since the pandemic. It had devastating effects, it amplified this crisis that we had been experiencing for a while,” she says.
What are opioids? These include powerful analgesics and painkillers like oxycodone, morphine, hydromorphone, fentanyl and codeine. These medications are prescribed by prescription by a healthcare professional.
However, derivatives can be found on the street, therefore on the black market, under various names (China White, Friend, Dance Fever, Apache, TNT, etc.). Consumers seek them out in particular for their euphoric and relaxation effects. However, they have the drawback of being medications with a very high risk of dependence.
At Public Health, we recognize that there are difficulties experienced by users of these substances in Restigouche and we would like to provide them with more support. For example, we would like to make naloxone, a medication that helps counter the effects of opioid poisoning (overdose), more accessible.
Campbellton targeted
Public Health therefore suggested that the City of Campbellton take part in a project, namely the installation of a health box – a sort of vending machine – in which naloxone would be offered free of charge.
“It can be found in pharmacies, but it is very expensive. And we know that the level of poverty is high in Restigouche. If we find it for free, we could save lives,” believes Ms. Sall.
Although this project aims to tackle the problem of opioid consumption, it is not limited to this. The box could thus contain accessories linked to other health problems, such as HIV self-tests, strips for detecting fentanyl in drugs (to avoid poisoning), educational brochures relating to sexually transmitted infections, condoms and lubricant, needle receptacles (for people who inject drugs) and even crack pipes or safe injection kits.
“It (the health box) does not just stop at the consumption of opioids, we touch on several spheres. It’s really a harm reduction approach,” explains Ms. Saal.
This type of health box already exists in a few places in the province, but we do not find any in the northern areas. Campbellton would thus become the first to be equipped with such a prevention tool.
“We would really like people to have access to sterile and free materials dedicated to consumption. This would help reduce accidental deaths linked to exposure to these opioids. This would also give us more recent and representative data on the consumption of these substances,” says Ms. Sall.
The box would be offered free of charge thanks to a national project. Its restocking would also be free. Certain products may also not be included in the box if the City is not completely comfortable with them.
Moral responsibility
After deliberating for a week on the issue, members of Campbellton municipal council decided Monday – and unanimously – to give the project a chance. “I believe that we have a moral obligation to move forward,” said Councilor Maurice Comeau from the outset.
“The use of opioids and strong drugs causes a lot of harm. It’s even an epidemic. Like it or not, this is not something that will disappear overnight. We must do our part towards these most vulnerable people in our community,” added Councilor Diane Cyr.
The mayor of Campbellton, Jean-Guy Levesque, for his part welcomed the decision of his council. “It’s a big commitment on a very important and very delicate subject at the same time. There will be some social education to be done, because I am certain that many citizens will wonder why we agreed to have such a box on our territory when other communities refused. Personally, I think we simply couldn’t say no,” says the mayor.
However, no location has been selected for its installation. As the box would need to be in a closed environment, protected from bad weather, we suggested the fire station since this establishment is open 24 hours a day.
“This type of box must be available at all times, because users of these drugs are not limited to consuming from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday,” recalled Councilor Sterling Loga.
The council will return soon with a list of potential locations for the installation of this box.
