'Please let us help': Naturopaths ask for right to prescribe safer drug supply in B.C.

Naturopaths in B.C. are lobbying for the right to prescribe safer supply, saying they want to help address a toxic drug crisis that's killing nearly seven people in the province every day.

B.C.'s Naturopathic Doctors (BCND), a voluntary professional association, wrote to Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Jennifer Whiteside on Nov. 16, asking for the power to prescribe alternatives to street drugs, along with opioid agonist therapies like methadone and suboxone. Opioid agonist therapy is a form of treatment that involves taking medication that reduce withdrawals from opioid use.

Prince George naturopath Deborah Phair told Carolina DeRyk, host of CBC's Daybreak North, that the group has yet to receive a response.

"This is a crisis that really needs immediate attention," Phair said. "Naturopathic doctors we're here, we're licensed, we're already working in these communities in B.C, we're wanting to help, so all I'm saying is, 'Minister, please let us help.'"

She argues that allowing naturopaths to prescribe these drugs will not only provide more access for patients, but it could also help ease the pressure on doctors amid a shortage of primary care providers.

An estimated 225,000 people in B.C. are at risk of death or injury from drug use, but just 5,000 people have access to prescribed safer supply, according to a November report from the B.C. Coroners Service.

Since April 2016, when B.C. declared a public health emergency because of a spike in deaths related to illicit drugs, more than 13,300 people have died.

Ministry says request is under review

Naturopaths in B.C. have had the right to prescribe certain medications since 2009, as long as they complete a certification course. They can also complete courses that allow them to give vaccinations.

Right now, according to Phair, about 630 of B.C.'s 800 licensed naturopaths have prescribing powers.

Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses were granted the ability to prescribe medications for opioid use disorder earlier this year under a new designation that allows them to diagnose and treat substance use disorder. The designation requires training from the B.C. Centre onSubstance Use.

November's death review panelcalled for an expansion of the safer supply program that would allow people to access alternatives to toxic street drugs without a prescription.

Whiteside immediately rejected that proposal.

A written statement from the ministry says the BCND letter is currently being reviewed.

The ministry says a review of B.C.'s safer supply program is currently being conducted by experts from the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is also reviewing aspects of the program, originally put in place to respond to a spike in deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"While the evaluation of the program is currently ongoing, preliminary findings showed a decrease in overdose and all-cause mortality in persons receiving prescriptions for opioids," the ministry statement reads.

"Early findings have shown a 61 per cent reduction in deaths in people receiving prescriptions for opioids compared to those who do not."