Police to play key role in offering addiction treatment

A first in Canada, police officers will now be able to offer immediate access to addiction treatment upon an individual’s arrest.

Albertans who are taken into police custody and who have an opioid addiction will now have the ability to immediately start evidence-based medication treatments voluntarily, such as the newly announced Sublocade injection, right in municipal jails.

To support this innovative program, Alberta’s government is providing $1.4 million to expand and create a low-barrier/harm reduction division of the virtual opioid dependency program (VODP). This division will do rapid assessment and treatment initiations for those struggling with addiction and opioid use, and will also provide enhanced case management for clients after their release from custody. Total provincial funding for the VODP is $6.4 million annually.

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