Over the past year, the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network conducted a research project on supervised consumption services (SCS) in Canada. Their research — based on a literature review and 15 interviews with key informants — confirms that while remarkable progress has been made in recent years to expand SCS across the country, legal processes requiring SCS providers to obtain a federal exemption to protect staff and clients from criminal prosecution continues to limit Canada’s ability to respond to the current overdose crisis.
The Legal Network proposes to normalize SCS so they can be integrated seamlessly into a comprehensive set of services for people who use drugs is a priority.
Their report, Overdue for a Change: Scaling up Supervised Consumption Services in Canada, will be released on February 19, 2019 and shared with the federal government in advance of the National Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis.
Read their key findings and recommendations here.