Fentanyl is just the symptom. Who caused the crisis?

Petra Schulz, April 5, 2017

If you only read one article this month, make it this one please! Fentanyl is just the symptom, while the origin of the crisis has much do do with prescription practices and the lies the makers of Oxycontin used to make billions, while thousands have died. Our son Danny started opioids with prescription drugs he obtained on the illicit market, like many of his now dead peers. Others got the drugs from the Drs. with the same tragic outcome. But as it seems, some execs always find a way to make money, no matter what the "collateral damage is. I object if the "collateral damage" is my son or anyone child. Do you agree that Purdue pharma should be held accountable?

Proud to Carry

Jayme Saunders, Calgary, AB, February 2016 - Guest blog to MSTH.

I think this is something important to see for those who have not seen it yet. This is a naloxone kit, a kit that can help save a friend, a family member, even a stranger. I have seen dozens of facebook posts about "drug awareness" (you loose your family, your job, your kids because you're WILLING to give these things up) and I call bullshit. I call bullshit on every post out there saying addiction is a choice, that addiction is something you want, that addiction is someones fault. Not one child will ever say "I want to be a drug addict, I want to have my life controlled by substance"; they'll most likely want to be an astronaut, a police officer, a doctor or a rockstar. Not one will want their lives to involve addiction.

What may start out as a choice, or a fun game, quickly escalates into something lacking all choices; crippling judgement, controlling urges. Addicts, for the most part, lack the ability to make rational decisions, sometimes mentally and physically unable to seek the help that they need.

All of this being said lets take a look at the photo posted below. I picked this up for FREE! Yet, after going to my doctor and asking about it she had NO IDEA what I was talking about when I asked where to get a "naloxone kit". After googling it for Alberta added no assistance she wrote me a prescription. Well, it turns out you can pretty well pick them up from any drug store FOR FREE! In a province with so much fentanyl in it WHY THE HELL ISN'T THERE MORE OUT THERE ON THIS?!

What is naloxone? Essentially, it is a possible second chance for that friend, family member or stranger that otherwise would die of an overdose. It works as an OPIOID blocker, and ONLY an opioid blocker. This means that you can inject anyone you think may be overdosing from fentanyl and it wouldn't harm someone that wasn't. This means from the time it takes to wait for medical help you can do something. This means that even if you ARE NOT SURE but you THINK IT MIGHT BE THE CASE you can inject them and it WILL NOT HARM SOMEONE NOT OVERDOSING.

I am proud to carry one of these kits, everyday and everywhere. It's a little bigger then a pen lengthwise and fits in any one of my bags I carry. What's your excuse for not having one?

Don't be reactive. Be proactive.

Visiting our children's graves

Last summer I visited the grave of Jordan Miller, the son of my friend Leslie Mcbain on Pender Island and this week she came to Mayne Island and we visited Danny's grave. Both boys died of overdoses in 2014 and both of us never thought we would have to bury a child. We have become such close friends in our grief and our advocacy with Moms Stop The Harm that it is hard to imagine that without losing our sons, we would have never met.

We are united in grief, but also in our fight against the war on drugs that took our boys and against stigma that still prevents people from getting the help they need. Together with Lorna Thomas (son Alex, 2012 by suicide) and Jennifer Woodside (Dylan, 2014 by overdose) and the many other wonderful moms and family members who have joined us since we will continue the fight until our numbers no longer grow as they do now on a daily basis.

I drove my son to to buy fentanyl to keep him alive while he was waiting for treatment.

Edmonton, March 15, 2017

Dear Minister of Health, Sarah Hoffman,

I was one of the moms who attended the legislature as a guest of David Swann to listen to the emergency debate on the Opioid crisis in Alberta.

Many of the members spoke passionately about this horrific crisis, some shared personal stories and I felt like everyone in the room truly cared. Then I looked down from the gallery and I saw members of your government "surfing the internet", looking at photos, checking out California on google earth, on facebook etc. At this moment my heart sunk and I realized that not everyone did in fact care. They couldn't be bothered to listen to the facts, the statistics or the personal accounts of the devastation that the Opioid crisis is causing. I took unpaid time off of work to attend because I care that so many people are unnecessarily dying every single day in our province. It is very disheartening to know that my tax dollars are paying for members of the government to sit and "surf the internet" while an emergency debate is being held. I took this lack of caring and dismissive attitude personally, because it is personal to me. Opioids have destroyed my family.

I would like to thank you for the steps that already have been taken to address this crisis. Additional medical examiners and naloxone kits are important, however those steps are reactive and not proactive. We need to take measures to prevent people from getting to the point of overdose.

When a substance user is ready to receive treatment, they shouldn't have to wait months to get into a facility. I was tasked with keeping my son alive for 2 months until a bed was available. He also had no choice in what treatment program he thought would work for him. The wait time for the program he wanted to attend was 6 months, and he and I both knew he wouldn't be alive if he had to wait that long. I personally drove him every single day to his drug dealers house to buy his fentanyl to keep him alive for 2 months while he hopelessly waited for help. He knew going in that the 12 step program would not work for him, but it was his only choice. He relapsed 6 weeks after he came home from treatment. 12 step and abstinence based programs only have a 5% success rate. I continue to fight for my son every single day.

I hope that we see more action sooner rather than later, as the death toll keeps rising. I can also hope that more respect is shown by members of the government when discussing health crises and tragedies.

Kind regards,

Regan Magnus

Like a bunch of horses hitched to a wagon, all pulling in a different direction.

Edmonton, March 5, 2017

Lorna Thomas, Susan Robble and Regan Magnus from MomsStopTheHarm, Amy Graves (Get Prescription Drugs Off the Street) and Rosalind Davis (Changing the Face of Addiction) and Shanell Twan (Streetworks) were at the Alberta Legislature. They were there to listen to an emergency debate about the government's fourth-quarter Opiods and Substances of Misuse report which reveals continuing escalation of the #opioidcrisis.

Calgary MLA Dr. David Swann called for an emergency debate on how to address/ redress the situation in Alberta. Dr. Swann's call for an emergency debate was granted.

Dr. Swann and an amazing number of MLA's (20 in all) representing all five parties (Liberal, Wildrose, Conservative, NDP, Alberta Party) spoke passionately, respectfully, and often personally about the opioid overdose epidemic. Many of them acknowledged our presence, offered condolences to those of us whose child/partner are gone due to a drug related death, and thanked us for being there in the gallery to give witness to the debate. The discussion proceeded for 3 1/2 hours, a half hour longer than planned.

All the MLA's who spoke used 'our language' (harm reduction, safe injection sites, evidence- based treatment, 'keep them alive today so they can make a better decision tomorrow') which was reflective of how educated many politicians have become on this issue. Several spoke of how families have come to their constituency offices asking for help for their loved ones. Lorna felt there was an overall feeling of compassion, not contempt, for those families and for those who were in the gallery.

There was no call for a decision in terms of a public health emergency, and no decision was made. But MomsStopTheHarm believe a lot of good took place. MLA's listened and learned from one another

The last MLA to speak offered a very insightful anology to where Alberta is at now with respect to the opioid crisis. He said that there are many horses hooked up to the cart of change. But currently the horses are all pointed in different directions. What is needed is leadership to harness the agents of change and get the cart moving in a clear, focused direction.