with
Amanda Porter, Host
and
Dr. Tiffany O’Donnell, Family Physician, Wije’winen Health Centre
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Do you think there is a moral difference between providing people who use drug with a safe supply of drugs and providing them with clean needles and a safe space to inject drugs? Why/why not?
- A lot of effort has gone into addressing stigma associated with substance use disorder, including efforts to make people look at it as a health condition and not a moral failure. Yet, stigma towards people who use drugs persist.
- Why do you think that is the case?
- Can you think of different ways to address stigma associated with substance use disorder?
RESOURCES
Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction:Lived and Living Experience | Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction [accessed March 17, 2025]
Jonson, B. Changing Her Tune. DoctorsNS Magazine, Vol 3 (2), June 2023, p16-17. https://doctorsns.com/news-events/doctorsns/archive/2023-06-01
Jonson, B. Dr. Tiffany O’Donnell takes a new approach to addiction medicine. DoctorsNS, Blogpost, August 2023. https://yourdoctors.ca/blog/health-care/dr-tiffany-odonnell/
Knaak, S., Romie, C., Mercer, S., Stuart, H.: Harm Reduction, Stigma and the Problem of Low Compassion Satisfaction: Tensions on the front-lines of Canada’s opioid crisis. Journal of Mental Health and Addition Nursing. Vol 3 (1) , May 2019. https://utppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.22374/jmhan.v3i1.37
McKay M., Coldwell, M., Graham, S., Upham, K.: Harm Reduction Position Paper. Doctors Nova Scotia (2023) harm-reduction-position-paper2023.pdf
Nova Scotia Health: What is Harm Reduction. Harm reduction | Nova Scotia Mental Health and Addictions [accessed March 17, 2025]
