CPhA Welcomes Government Investments to Address Prescription Drug Abuse

May 6, 2015 (Ottawa): The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) welcomes the recent announcement by the Minister of Health to launch the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM), a national research network aimed at addressing the harms associated with prescription drug abuse, addiction and substance misuse in Canada.

Together, the investment of $7.2 million in CRISM and an additional $5 million investment to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research specifically focused on prescription drug abuse, are important steps toward providing more effective interventions, support and treatments to address prescription drug abuse.

Prescription drug abuse is a growing public health and safety problem in Canada, particularly among youth. In the 2012 Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey, approximately 410,000 Canadians reported abusing prescription drugs like opioid pain relievers. CPhA is committed to continuing its work with governments and other health care stakeholders to address and mitigate the prescription drug abuse problem in Canada.

As frontline health care professionals, pharmacists can play a significant role in identifying and helping Canadians who misuse prescription drugs. Many pharmacists offer medication review services which can help flag potentially problematic medication use and provide an opportunity to better educate patients on medication safety. Some pharmacists also provide specialized addiction management services. Further to offering these services, pharmacists are well-positioned to do even more to effectively help address prescription drug abuse, such as collaborating with prescribers to identify safer, less problematic solutions for pain management and identifying strategies to help patients reduce their usage of addictive medications. In addition, integrated electronic pharmacy records can identify and track potential abuse.

CPhA is encouraging Canadians to participate in National Prescription Drug Drop-Off Day on Saturday May 9, 2015. This initiative provides an opportunity for Canadians to drop off their unused and expired prescription medication to local police and community partners at specific locations to ensure safe disposal. While unused prescription drugs can be returned to local pharmacies for disposal any day of the year, National Prescription Drug Drop-Off Day helps to highlight the issue, reduce the volume of prescription drugs available for misuse and inform Canadians of the harms associated with prescription drug abuse.

-30-

For more information, please contact:
Jeff Morrison
Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs
613-523-7877, x386
jmorrison@pharmacists.ca