The Gitpo Spirit Lodge Harm Reduction Pilot Program Incorporating Cannabinoid-based Medicine Pilot Program will include a diverse team of specialists to evaluate the use of cannabinoid products among individuals 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.
“Our primary goal”, he stated, “is to support harm reduction and wellness and community members who have been regularly excluded from the decisions that affect their lives and those of their brothers and sisters and be supported in regaining their rightful place in this community leading active and contributing roles, including leadership.”