Ep. 2 - Seeking to Reduce Harm: Prairie Harm Reduction

Seeking to Reduce Harm: Decriminalization, Harm Reduction and The United Church of Canada

Summary

This podcast’s conversation is centred around the work and ministry of Prairie Harm Reduction in their community. Prairie Harm Reduction’s website states that their mission is to “improve the quality of life for all members of our community through gold standards in Harm Reduction, emphasizing local action with national impact.” Prairie Harm Reduction is the organization that hosts the province of Saskatchewan’s only supervised consumption site and the only safe smoking room in Canada. The conversation today is with Kayla DeMong the Executive Director for Prairie Harm Reduction and Dr. Ali Tote, Pastor at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Saskatoon and a board member of Prairie Harm Reduction. The conversation today considers the ways in which we are engaging people and how we might be a presence in this world that provides ‘dignity, respect, and equal accesses’ to support and services for all people.

Line Up

Introduction

Scripture Reading – Deuteronomy 15: 7-11

Conversation – Prairie Harm Reduction

Kayla DeMong, Executive Director for Prairie Harm Reduction

Dr. Ali Tote, Pastor at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Saskatoon

Hymn – Christ Has No Body Now but Yours

Words: Adapted by Stephen C. Warner, 2003, from St. Teresa of Avila

Music: Rick Gunn, 2006

Performed by: Laura Beth (Laura Beth Music | Laura Beth_)

One License # 36222

Blessing

Considerations

- Considering the realities of drug use, the question remains from this conversation why is it we treat illicit drug use specifically as a moral issue as opposed to a health use? What is the church’s role in engaging beyond merely moralistic into a fulsome relationship with other’s well-being?

- Dr. Tote notes that the church needs to “walk the walk” and truly live its faith in action. When you consider his comments in relation to the scripture from Deuteronomy, how might we move into the space of being non-judgemental?

- We discuss tools of harm reduction and access for safe consumption use, and one is Naloxone. Here is a breakdown by province regarding access to Naloxone.

o Alberta: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/info/page15586.aspx

o British Columbia: https://towardtheheart.com/site-finder

o Manitoba: https://streetconnections.ca//content.php?navigation_id=2294

o New Brunswick: https://sunar.ca/where-to-pick-up-a-free-naloxone-kit-by-area

o Newfoundland and Labrador: https://www.gov.nl.ca/hcs/naloxonekits/

o Northwest Territories: https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/sites/hss/files/resources/naloxone-