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A Kelowna clinic is offering a safe supply of drugs to people struggling with addiction but those working on the front line of the opioid crisis say this is only a solution to a part the problem.

The Kelowna Mental Health and Substance Use clinic hands out hydromorphone tablets and fentanyl patches, and is part of a larger strategy taking place across Canada to tackle the growing opioid overdose crisis.

For Patricia Bacon, director of the John Howard Society of the Okanagan and Kootenay, a sensible drug policy is vital in the battle to help homeless people. 

“We really still do not have sensible drug policy,” she said. “I appreciate the fact that we decriminalized small quantity possession of street drugs. But we didn't go far enough when we continue to keep the supply poisoned and precarious.”

Safer supply services are a necessary part of that equation, Bacon said.

“I believe that safer supply will help the situation a lot,” she said. “It will not completely resolve the situation, but it resolves some of our problems for people who cannot or will not stop using drugs.

“(We) are still continuing to force people to take a gamble with their lives every single time they want to use drugs. And we continue to have a simplified narrative about drugs and drug use in Canada overall."

Bacon said the conversation around homelessness and addiction needs to change first.

“We need to stop creating people who use drugs, framing them up as… a person who absolutely has failed somehow,” she said.

Jamie Dale Walters, House and Program Manager at Ozanam Recovery House in Kelowna, said it's less clear if safer supply will be successful.

“Those who experience addiction are from all walks of life; they are our family, neighbours, colleagues,” he said. “Whether safe supply will benefit the people in Kelowna at large I could not say. It will have to be seen.”

As an abstinence -based recovery charity, Ozanam’s primary focus is in helping those suffering from addiction find recovery, Walters said.

“However, while addicts are in their active addiction, I believe it is important for them to be as safe as possible,” he said.

Walters said the problem of the opioid crisis has not been sufficiently addressed, with growing overdose rates pointing to a worsening problem.

“In my opinion, I do not think we even have an accurate handle on what the problem is. It is clear that lives are being lost as a result of this crisis and something needs to change,” he said.

The problem, Walters said, is a systemic one and will require a deeper and more nuanced approach if anything is to change.

“Just as the addicts themselves must gain a deeper understanding of the underlying causes and conditions of their addictions, society must make the same investigations into the roots of our systemic issues,” he said. “Band aids will only carry us so far in either case.

“In my opinion, you cannot solve a systemic problem with more systems, any more than you can put out a gasoline fire by adding more gasoline. Of course, opioid agonist therapies are important in the immediate, but ultimately, the solution must be human.”

Meaningful conversations around the topic of addiction are the beginning point of finding a solution, Walters said.

“The more we connect and bravely confront the issues of our times, the more likely we will create lasting solutions.” 

To find out more about the John Howard Society you can visit their website here.

To find out more about Ozanam Recovery House you can visit their website here.

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