People who use drugs are at elevated risk of death due to the toxic illicit drug supply. Providing easy access to a supply of safe, clean substances may reduce overdose deaths, decrease harms associated with substance use, and improve users’ trust in addiction care.

Safer Alternatives for Emergency Response (SAFER) is a low-barrier, flexible safe supply program that provides several replacement options for people who use illicit drugs, including fentanyl, and is integrated with other healthcare and social services.

In this episode, Drs. Omole and Bigham speak with two physicians who work with the SAFER initiative. Dr. Sukhpreet Klaire is the lead author of the article in CMAJ entitled Low-Barrier, Flexible Safe Supply to Prevent Overdose. He is an addiction medicine specialist working in Vancouver. Dr. Melanie van Soeren is a family physician and addiction medicine specialist in Vancouver.

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Preventing overdose harms with a safe supply of drugs