Canada’s Minister of Mental Health and Addiction says more doctors across the country should be willing to prescribe a safer supply of drugs instead of fearing they will be investigated by their medical orders. regulations.

Carolyn Bennett told a press conference in Vancouver that a guidance document from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia could be very useful in other provinces and territories.

BC College said physicians who prescribe pharmaceutical-grade alternatives to illicit drugs as part of a comprehensive treatment plan or stand-alone harm reduction strategy may better support patients and reduce their risk of overdose and of deceased.

The practice is based on a policy directive created last July by the British Columbia Ministries of Health and Mental Health and Addictions as part of an urgent response to the overdose crisis.

Bennett says more than 7,500 people in Canada fatally overdosed last year, and it’s time Canadians understood the role they could play in fighting the stigma around drug use.

She made the comments while announcing initiatives across Canada, including safer procurement programs in British Columbia and Ontario, involving $40 million in funding that has already been budgeted for various programs.