Skeena MLA Claire Rattee is urging a reassessment of B.C.’s “safe supply” strategy following new research showing a 33% rise in opioid-related hospitalizations since its implementation.
The study also found that overdose rates increased further when decriminalization was combined with safer supply measures.
While Rattee acknowledges the importance of harm reduction, she warns that prescribing drugs like hydromorphone and dilaudid without proper oversight or links to recovery services is not effectively helping those in need.
She is calling for a more balanced approach—one that integrates prevention, detox, treatment, and mental health care alongside harm reduction.
RattΘe emphasized that compassion is essential, but policies leading to more overdoses and hospitalizations are failing communities.
She believes those battling addiction deserve more than just survival—they need real support on the path to recovery.
