April 25, 2023
Arthur Newspaper, Trent University
On April 24th, Peterborough City Council voted by a margin of 8-3 not to move forward with the drafting of a Naloxone policy for City workers.
Article Highlights:
Jessica Penner of Peterborough Drug Strategy informed Councillors that research suggests that nearly 13% of the population has used prescription opioids in the past twelve months and that a slightly smaller percentage used non-prescription opioids.
“Substance use does not preclude being employed at the City or in any other workplace in Ontario, Naloxone is a life-saving tool.” - Jessica Penner, Peterborough Drug Strategy Coordinator (2016-2023)
Program Manager of Four Counties Addiction Services Team (Fourcast), Kerri Kightley, also spoke to the significant benefit a robust Naloxone policy would give to City workers in Peterborough, noting that she had been in contact with staff at the City of Barrie, which has implemented Naloxone as a part of their city’s routine first aid response.
“We need to empower all of our citizens, It’s something that we have to figure out how to say yes to.” - Kerri Kightley, FourCAST
Dr. Thomas Piggott (Peterborough Public Health) was careful to dismantle the notion that those who are administered Naloxone become aggressive - something the report noted as a risk factor associated with the implementation of a policy. Calling this point “grossly overstated,” he voiced concerns about the impacts of when “an influential public body,” such as City Hall, “re-states myths.”
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