London Police Raise Alarm on Safer Supply Drugs Sold on the Streets: ‘A Growing Concern’

Drugs seized during busts in London, Ont., as announced by the London Police Service on July 15, 2024. Courtesy of London Police Service

London, Ontario, was the first place in Canada to pilot a safer supply drug program, and police there are now for the first time raising the alarm about the problem of diversion, or trading the drugs for more dangerous ones.

London Police said at a July 15 press conference that people who are prescribed the safer supply of opioids are selling them, or “diverting them,” to buy higher-potency drugs like fentanyl. Concerns about diversion have previously been raised in London, but this is the first strong statement on the matter by local police.