London Police Chief Thai Truong warned that “safe supply” has exacerbated the illegal drug trade and resulted in unprecedented levels of drug overdoses.
Truong highlighted that “safe supply” has led to medications being diverted for sale on the black market.
“These diverted drugs are being resold within our community, trafficked to other jurisdictions, and even used as currency to obtain fentanyl, perpetuating the illegal drug trade. Specifically, we are seeing significant increases in the availability of diverted Dilaudid eight milligram tablets, which are often prescribed as part of the safe supply initiatives,” said Truong. “Vulnerable individuals are being targeted by criminals who exchange these prescriptions for fentanyl, exacerbating addiction and community harm.”
He highlighted the stark increase in drug overdoses over the last year, which he attributed to the “safe supply” program.
In 2021, 73 people in London died of drug overdoses. The following year saw 123 people die from drug overdoses, an increase of 68%. The subsequent year saw the number rise to 142, a further increase of 15%. Fatalities have since decreased marginally but remain well above pre-pandemic levels.
“Tragically, over 80% of opioid-related overdose deaths in London are linked to fentanyl,” said Truong.
The London police previously warned that “safe supply” drugs were fuelling the black market.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and police in British Columbia issued the same warning.
Drug seizures by police have also increased at an even more staggering rate.
London police seized 847 hydromorphone pills in 2019, 75 of which were dilaudid eight milligrams. By 2023, seizures increased to over 30,000 pills, with half of them being dilaudid eight milligrams, an increase of over 3,441%.
Truong said that these increases could not be attributed to pharmacy thefts, as only one had occurred since 2019.
Conservative MP Laila Goodridge highlighted that Dr. Sharon Koivu had previously noted that vulnerable women were being “pimped out” for safe supply drugs. Truong said the police have also seen the trend.
Koivu previously interviewed with True North’s Harrison Faulkner.
She said that she witnessed people develop paraplegia from injecting Dilaudid.
The doctor said that safe supply programs at pharmacies are directly related to more homeless encampments, as people were moving into tents to be near them.
Additionally, she said that people were being prescribed up to 40 pills of Dilaudid a day, four times more than the body can handle without seeing a toxic result.
Before safe supply, Koivu said that pills cost $20. Afterwards, they were available for $1 a pill.
“Now, most of the people I see who have started using opioids since 2016 started recreationally and often didn’t know that it was dangerous. It’s called safe supply. So people literally are thinking it’s safe to take, and that they won’t get addicted and safe to inject because it’s called safe supply,” said Koivu. “So my experience has been that I’m seeing a lot more people, young adults, that have addiction.”
Koivu added that after revealing that people were getting spine infections from injecting safe supply drugs, she was suppressed by people calling her a fear monger. She said that other doctors fear similar retribution, causing them not to speak out.
Conservative MP Todd Doherty warned that Trudeau has not ruled out bringing drug legalization to other parts of Canada.
Truong advised against it.
“I am not in support of decriminalization of drugs in our community,” he said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he would fix drug crimes and smuggling in Canada following President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs in response to Canada’s weak border.
“I don’t want to stop drug overdoses to please Donald Trump. I want to stop drug overdoses so that there’s not one more mother with her face buried in a pillow, sobbing that she just lost her kid,” said Poilievre. After 47,000 other Canadians have died —that’s more than we lost in the Second World War—a 200% annual increase in drug overdose deaths have resulted from Justin Trudeau’s radical liberalization of drugs.”