Senator and former Ottawa police chief calling for increased action on opioid crisis

By Alex Goudge

To mark Recovery Day,a Canadian Senator and former Ottawa police chief is calling for increased action on combating the ongoing opioid crisis. 

Recovery Day is held on September 17 and aims reduce the stigma surrounding substance use and addiction, while bringing awareness to community wellness.

“Canada, as a country, needs to embrace Recovery Day and start identifying those who are living with addictions and how we're going to help them recover so our country becomes stronger,” Vern White told The Sam Laprade Show on Friday.

White feels there is a lack of initiative and discussion surrounding the opioid crisis, especially during the current election cycle. On average, the crisis claims the lives of 17 Canadians each day.

“I can't imagine that 17 people every day die in the country, and it's not on the tip of everybody's tongues,” he explained. “That scares me a bit because that means we have decided that we don't care as much as we probably should.”

In order to combat the opioid crisis, White wants to see a medical solution to address a medical problem. He would like to see greater access to a safe supply of drugs for users, which could lead to less overdose-related deaths, and less street crime.

The senator believes addiction affects everyone in some form, but notices people tend to distance themselves from the topic when it comes to discussing opioid use or someone they know who suffers with an addiction.

Listen to the full interview with Sam Laprade below:

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