Introduction

The Harm Reduction Program is a collaborative endeavor led by Gitpo Spirit Lodge and supported by a group of strategic partners who want to offer an option in the treatment spectrum for individuals who are currently receiving Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) such as methadone, buprenorphine/naloxone, and buprenorphine.

Roger Augustine, retired Assembly of First Nation Regional Chief for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island and founder of Gitpo Spirit Lodge, spent his forty-six-year, career developing and implementing harm reduction and wellness programs for members in his community of Natoaganeg (Eel Ground) First Nation and other First Nation communities. This pilot program advances both his journey and work in First Nations across the country.

Denise and Brent Hannay, founders of Eco Canadian Organic Inc. (‘E.C.O.’), a local, Health Canada licensed producer initiated a meeting with then Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island Chief Roger Augustine in October 2020 to present their pilot project and vision of medically prescribed cannabinoids as replacement therapy for individuals living with opioid use disorder which became the foundation of the Gitpo Spirit Lodge Pilot Program.

Gitpo Spirit Lodge’s strategic partners with E.C.O. include: Natoaganeg First Nation; Dr. Shelley Turner; and the University of New Brunswick. The Pilot Program’s core will include a team of health care professionals, behavioural specialist, prescribing physicians, and supportive wrap-around health care providers, under the leadership care and guidance of Dr. Shelley Turner.

Dr. Turner, a proud member of the Pimicikamack first Nation in Cross Lake, Manitoba will provide consultation for cannabinoid-based medicine programming for participants and will lead medical clinical research through an ownership, control, access, and possession (OCAP) lens.

The goal for these Partners is a team approach with the community as the Key Partner. The design and implementation of this project, including the metrics used for evaluation, will be critical and relevant to the participants and the community at large.

Alternative Treatment

The purpose of the Harm Reduction Program is to provide an alternative treatment that will evaluate the efficacy of medically prescribed organic cannabinoids as an alternative treatment to the current opioid agonists treatment and to enhance and support individuals as they taper off these medications.

The Harm Reduction Program’s main objective is to create an environment towards greater health and wellness outcomes for First Nations people living with addictions.

Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) reduction is an area of growing interest amongst healthcare professionals and patients in Canada, specifically in First Nation communities, such as Natoaganeg First Nation.

Community Leadership

The Pilot Program will be under the under the community leadership and administration of Gitpo Spirit Lodge, which manages an Aboriginal wellness and healing centre on Natoaganeg First Nation located in Eel Ground, NB. The Spirit Lodge has a developed, a model holistic wellness center offering traditional learning including, but not limited to; culture, education, and training for career in leadership positions, serving as wrap around programs supporting the Harm Reduction Program.

Funding: Health Canada

The Pilot Program is funded through Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP), which provides grants and contributions funding to respond to drug and substance use issues.  SUAP provides funding for a wide range of innovative and evidence-informed projects addressing problematic substance use prevention, harm reduction and treatment initiatives across the country.