Last week, the Sea to Sky Corridor's Member of Parliament was battling drugs and not in a Rob Ford way.
On Nov. 13, John Weston sat down with health-care officials and stakeholders throughout his riding to discuss the misuse of prescription drugs. After garnering support to proclaim May 11 National Prescription Drug Drop-Off Day, Weston announced the federal government is taking additional steps to address prescription drugs misuse, notably by implementing a "plain labelling" initiative for medications.
The initiative is backed by experts within the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky riding.
Pharmacists would like to see a unified source of information on prescription drug abuse "to make sure physicians and pharmacists have tools to distinguish properly what they are dealing with and prevent abuse," North Shore pharmacist Sophia Rabiei said in a statement.
Education and awareness are of paramount importance, West Vancouver Police Chief Pierre Lepine stated. Misuse of the powerful opioid Fentanyl led to the deaths of 23 British Columbians this year, a jump up from the eight deaths it caused in 2011.
"Whether it's little children who accidently swallow pills that are laying around the bathroom, or a teen following through on a dare to create a cocktail to get high at a party, the end results are nothing less than tragic," Lepine said.
