Sask. to begin distribution of safer inhalation supplies
Drug users in Saskatchewan will soon be given a safer option for inhalation supplies after the Saskatchewan Health Authority announced they will be supplying community based organizations (CBOs) and Saskatchewan’s provincially funded harm reduction sites with safer inhalation supplies.
Typically, items such as aluminum cans and or glass bottles are used to create makeshift pipes, which can often lead to burns, cuts, blisters and the transmission of HIV and/or Hepatitis C.
Saskatchewan currently leads the country with the highest HIV rates, and will be the eighth province to introduce safer inhalation supplies into its harm reduction programming.
Dr. Ashok Chhetri, one of the medical health officers with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, said that the idea of giving out safer inhalation supplies is very similar to the practice of distributing needle supplies, and will serve to reduce harm caused by street-drug use.