Supervised drug consumption site opens in Lethbridge after spike in overdoses
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — A supervised drug consumption site has opened in Lethbridge, Alta., after the city recorded more than 54 overdoses in recent weeks, some from what police are calling a potent batch of a dangerous street opioid.
The site is run by ARCHES, a community group that has been given approval to operate from Health Canada.
Executive Director Stacey Bourque says they couldn’t open fast enough with drug overdoses spiking in the area since Feb. 19, including some suspected deaths.
Bourque says staff, including nurses, are prepared to administer naloxone to addicts and users to counteract overdoses of drugs such as fentanyl.