NLIS 3
March 29, 2004
(Health and Community Services)

 

OxyContin Task Force given one month extension on final report

Elizabeth Marshall, Minister of Health and Community Services, today announced a one-month extension to the OxyContin Task Force to complete their final report on recommendations to address the issue of OxyContin abuse in the province. The extension was at the request of the task force.

"This government views the rising abuse of OxyContin in our province as a very serious and important issue," said Minister Marshall. "It is imperative that our plan to address the issue be extensive and address all facets of this growing problem in detail and not be hindered by time constraints. To ensure this, the task force has been given a one-month extension to complete this important work."

Areas to be covered in the final report include data collection and statistics, education and prevention, treatment options and harm reduction.

"The task force has accomplished a great deal in a short time," said Beverley Clarke, chair of the task force. "Sub-committee work is ongoing in some areas and continues to be developed in others. To that end, the task force has requested a one-month extension for the final report. We anticipate that by April 30, we will have progress to report in all areas and the final report will reflect that progress."

On December 15, 2003, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced the establishment of a task force to assess the extent of the abuse of OxyContin in the province and to develop a comprehensive plan to deal with the issue. The task force submitted an interim report on January 31, 2004.

Media contact: Carolyn Chaplin, Communications, (709) 729 1377

2004 03 29                                         2:30 p.m.


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