ACTION Ontario applauds Narcotics Safety and Awareness bill

ACTION Ontario, a non-profit group advocating on behalf of chronic pain sufferers, applauds the provincial government's Narcotics Safety and Awareness bill and encourages the government to take the next step and also address the underlying issue of pain with a comprehensive strategy.

"As a member of the province's narcotics advisory panel, I know how important it is that we address the growing narcotics problem in this province," said Dr. Angela Mailis-Gagnon, chair of ACTION Ontario and founder and director of the Comprehensive Pain Program at the Toronto Western Hospital. "However, we must not overlook that the root of the opioid public health crisis lies in the poor diagnosis and management of chronic pain. We need to embark on a comprehensive pain strategy in order to fully address the opioid crisis and to better meet the needs of the millions of Ontarians who suffer from chronic pain."

Currently, patients with chronic pain face a disjointed system of care and varying levels of knowledge from healthcare practitioners on how to diagnose and effectively treat pain.

"My clinic is overwhelmed by patients who come to me on high doses of narcotics and should not be. They've been prescribed these drugs because their physicians have not had the appropriate pain training, or because certain non-opioid medications or non-pharmacological therapies are not covered by the current system. On the other hand, we cannot ignore the other side of the problem, as thousands of Ontarians, particularly the elderly, who could benefit from appropriate doses of opioids, have no access to these drugs as physicians refuse to prescribe them. The problem here is loss of balance," said Dr. Mailis-Gagnon.

"Each pain patient and situation is unique in its own right, yet somehow we are all lumped together," said Janice Frampton, who has struggled with debilitating pain her entire life and is co-chair of ACTION's patient advocacy arm. "Something must be done to rectify this situation in the form of education and a comprehensive pain strategy or there will be more addiction, more social upheaval and more strain on our healthcare system."

Source: ACTION ONTARIO