'Serious challenges' caused by opioid prescription diversion, London police chief tells MPs

There are "serious challenges" brought on by the Safer Opioid Supply (SOS) program that's been operating in London since 2016, the city's police chief told federal politicians during testimony at a committee meeting on Parliament Hill on Tuesday.

While there's only been one pharmacy robbery in the city since 2019, women are being pressured to get prescriptions for opioids which are then taken from them by criminals, Thai Truong told members of Parliament during testimony before the standing committee on health. 

An issue as complex as the opioid epidemic requires a complex solution and police can't deal with the drugs being diverted from the program to the streets without help, Truong said. 

"I'm not here to criticize the safe supply program, but to address the serious challenges associated with its diversion," he said. "We are targeting individuals and organized crime groups who exploit vulnerable populations and fuel the drug trade, however, enforcement alone is not sufficient.

"We need robust enforcement to hold traffickers accountable. We need continued collaboration between health, social service and public safety sectors to effectively respond to this crisis."

The safer supply program offers people who use drugs prescription-grade opioids with the intent of lowering overdose rates by preventing drug users from using contaminated street drugs.

Truong's testimony was largely in line with information London police have shared in the past regarding diversion from the program. In July, police said a significant portion of drugs seized by police ended up on the streets after being prescribed through the program.

At the time, Truong explained that pills prescribed to people in the program were often traded for stronger, more dangerous drugs such as fentanyl.

Throughout his time being questioned, Truong refused multiple times to speculate or comment on whether the SOS program should end or be modified.

"Decisions regarding medical efficacy and public impacts of safe supply or harm reduction strategies are best left with medical experts and medical professionals," he said.

The Standing Committee on Health has heard from 73 witnesses regarding safer supply programs and the opioid crisis since last year. Tuesday's testimony didn't mark the first time a London voice was featured in discussions about the challenges of the opioid crisis.

Dr. Andrea Sereda, who leads the SOS Program at London InterCommunity Health Centre, testified in February. She pleaded with politicians to not politicize the issue, saying disinformation caused some to ignore evidence-based harm reduction practices, further stigmatizing overdose deaths that she believes can be prevented through safe supply programs. 

On Tuesday, Truong reiterated that officers will be cracking down on open drug use moving forward — a stance he's increasingly taken as people living in communities where drug use happens more often express concerns over safety. That includes more arrests when appropriate, he said in the past.

Ramped up enforcement would ideally go hand-in-hand with increased prevention and treatment efforts, he added.

"I am in full support of scaling up prevention, full support of scaling up treatment, full support of scaling up harm reduction. I'm also in full support of scaling up enforcement efforts," he said.

"I am focusing not on specifically the safe supply program, but I'm focusing on the criminality as a result of the diversion that is occurring, and it is impacting our community here in London."