The Saskatchewan Medical Association has passed a resolution calling for provincial funding for 24-hour-a-day safe consumption sites.
Saskatoon doctor Carla Holinaty called for the motion. She says safe consumption sites are needed all over the province and not just Regina and Saskatoon.
“People don’t just use drugs in cities. People use drugs across the world and in every corner of the province.” Holinaty said. “It’s not good equity to try and prevent death from those who just live in Regina and Saskatoon. More sites are needed and they are needed province-wide. Numbers show safe consumption sites are saving lives. While the provincial government has invested money into things like detox and recovery, they have to know safe consumption sites can be a piece of an overall strategy that leads to recovery. While we are putting money into recovery and detox, we lose people before they have a chance to enter into the program.
Regina police say up to the end of May, there has been 648 drug overdoses in the city with 58 deaths.
