New private members’ legislation introduced today would help stem the growing abuse of a popular pain medication in communities across the province, said Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli.
Fedeli introduced the Safeguarding Our Communities Act (Fentanyl Patch For Patch Return Policy), for First Reading this afternoon in the Ontario Legislature.
“My bill would implement a fentanyl patch return policy pioneered in my riding in communities across Ontario to help them deal with what is becoming a growing concern from both a health, social and criminal standpoint,” said Fedeli.
In a nutshell, when you get a prescription for Fentanyl, you must return the used patches in order to get new ones.
"It works remarkably well," Fedeli told BayToday. "It's worked so well that communities around Ontario have copied it."
Fedeli's bill passed first reading today.
In announcing the new bill, Fedeli was joined by North Bay & Area Community Drug Strategy Committee Chairperson Patricia Cliche and Detective Constables Brad Reaume and Tom Robertson from the North Bay Police Service.
“In partnership, we were able to create a solution that we hope will benefit all and will lead to a safer community,” said Cliche.
The bill would give health care practitioners across Ontario greater control over fentanyl patches, which currently are being sold illicitly for large sums of money to addicts.
Just last month, a North Bay man was arrested and charged with drug trafficking after police seized 59 patches with a street value of more than $23,000. In May, Barrie Police arrested eight people connected to a fentanyl patch scheme with links to North Bay and Toronto.
“I believe the approach advocated in my bill and which has already produced positive results in North Bay is a model that will curb the dangerous trend of fentanyl abuse across Ontario,” Fedeli concluded.
Video of Fedeli’s Queen’s Park media conference today can be found here:
