Problem representation of the Risk Mitigation Guidance (RMG) within the context of dual public health emergencies of COVID-19 and toxic drug deaths in British Columbia, Canada
Our study builds on the importance of evaluating problem representations in the process of policymaking. The RMG illustrates how crisis-driven policymaking shapes problem representations, enabling rapid intervention through the COVID-19 response while constraining responses to the toxic drug emergency. As a medicalized emergency response, the RMG addressed contagion but failed to confront the structural drivers of toxic drug deaths. Our study highlights the needs for prescribed safer supply models to directly address the unregulated toxic drug supply.
Authors
- Brittany Barker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4333-3345)
- Alexa Norton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3226-3003)
- Bernie Pauly (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4845-1383)
- Amanda Slaunwhite (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1355-0031)
- Phoenix Beck-McGreevy
- Karen Urbanoski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7017-3546)
- Celeste Macevicius (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4246-9547)
- Marion Selfridge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9829-2870)
- Jaime Arredondo
- Bruce Wallace (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0360-7302)
- Jeremy Kalicum
- Daniel Gudiño Pérez
Institutions
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Simon Fraser University (CA)
- University of Victoria (CA)
- British Columbia Centre on Substance Use (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Drug Policy
- Published
- 2025-12-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105102
- Primary Topic
- Policy Transfer and Learning
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00