Recently, a number of high profile cases in British Columbia have highlighted a serious gap between what is considered best practice in the clinical management of substance use disorders, and the treatment and care pathways that nurses with a suspected or confirmed substance use disorder are able to access. 

We call on all Canadian nursing unions, colleges, and employers to immediately implement the recommendations of the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) and the Harm Reduction Nurses Association so that nurses with suspected or confirmed substance use disorders receive individualized risk assessments and individualized and evidence based treatment options, free from coercion, harm and conflict of interest. 

Harm Reduction Nurses Association Position Statement: Supporting Nurses Who Use Substances 

British Columbia Centre on Substance Use Report: Promoting Evidence-Based Treatment Approaches for Nurses with Substance Use Disorders