Ontario’s Opioid Strategy

Overview

The abuse and misuse of prescription narcotics and other controlled substance medications is a serious public health and safety issue in Ontario. A growing number of people are addicted to these drugs, using them outside their intended medical purposes, including unlawful activities and some dying as a result of this improper use.

To address these significant issues, Ontario has developed a strategy to educate health care professionals and the public on the proper prescribing and use of these medications.

Ontario’s Opioid Strategy is promoting the proper use of prescription narcotics and other controlled substance medications while working to reduce drug abuse and addiction among Ontarians, as well as ensuring that people who need narcotics and other controlled substances for appropriate medical use will continue to have access to these medications.

A monitoring system has been developed to collect and store information on prescribing and dispensing activities for these medications. The information collected by the monitoring system will be used for improving prescribing and dispensing practices and stopping the use of prescription drugs for improper purposes.

Prescription narcotics

A number of prescription narcotics and other controlled substance medications are being monitored through Ontario’s Opioid Strategy.

Prescription narcotics are drugs commonly prescribed to relieve moderate to severe pain. A couple examples of common narcotic medications include:

• acetaminophen with codeine (Tylenol® 3)
• oxycodone (OxyNEO™)

Controlled substances are drugs listed under Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. A few examples of controlled substance medications include:

• methylphenidate (Ritalin®)
• benzodiazepines (Valium®)
• barbiturates (Phenobarbital)

You can also speak with your health care provider to see if any drugs you are currently taking are on the list.

Common medications being monitored under the strategy

The complete list of monitored drugs are listed in Schedules I to V of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Canada).

Note: The medication lists provided here may change and will be updated from time to time.

Getting your prescription

You are required to show acceptable ID to the health care provider, and in certain cases the pharmacist, in order to get your opioid prescription and have it filled.

When you are being prescribed medication

When you are being prescribed your medication, a unique number from your ID will be recorded on your prescription. Additionally, when you receive your medication you may be asked to present your ID.

The information you provide will be recorded in the Narcotics Monitoring System (NMS) to ensure proper prescribing and dispensing practices are being followed. Information collected will be used to detect unusual or inappropriate behaviour, identify trends, enhance education initiatives and develop harm reduction strategies.

The abuse and misuse of prescription narcotics and other controlled substances is a serious public health and safety issue in Ontario. The monitoring of these medications through law exists to protect people from the harm that these drugs can do.

When you are picking up medication for someone else

Whether you’re picking up medication for a loved one, friend or neighbour, you are required to show your ID to the pharmacist at your pharmacy. You must also ensure that the person you’re picking up the medication for has already provided valid identification for their prescription at the time the prescription is written.

The pharmacist will record your name and address and keep this information on file at the pharmacy.

List of approved forms of identification

Below is a list of forms of identification that a person can present to a prescriber or dispenser:

• Ontario health card or other health card issued by a province or territory in Canada
• Valid driver’s licence or temporary driver’s licence (issued by Ontario or another Canadian jurisdiction)
• Ontario photo card
• Birth Certificate from a Canadian province or territory
• Government-issued Employee Identification Card
• Ontario outdoors card
• BYID (age of majority card)
• Certificate of Indian Status
• Valid Passport - Canadian or other country
• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
• Canadian immigration identification card
• Permanent resident card
• Old age security identification card
• Canadian armed forces identification card
• Royal Canadian mounted police/provincial/municipal police identification
• Firearms possession and acquisition license

Note: The list provided here may change and will be updated from time to time.

Public notice regarding the Ministry of Health collection, use and disclosure of information under the Narcotics Safety and Awareness Act, 2010

The Narcotics Safety and Awareness Act, 2010 (“Act”) authorizes the Minister of Health and the Executive Officer of Ontario Public Drug Programs (“Executive Officer”) to collect, use and disclose information, including personal information, that relates to the prescribing and dispensing of narcotics and controlled substances (“monitored drugs”) in Ontario, for the purposes of the Act. The purposes of the Act are to:

• promote appropriate prescribing and dispensing practices for monitored drugs
• identify and reduce the abuse, misuse and diversion of monitored drugs
• reduce the risk of addiction and death resulting from the abuse or misuse of monitored drugs

Section 8 of the Act permits the Minister and the Executive Officer to direct a prescriber (doctor, dentist), a dispenser (pharmacist) or an operator of a pharmacy to disclose information about the monitored drugs they prescribe or dispense, to the Minister or the Executive Officer. For example, the Minister and the Executive Officer may direct the disclosure of information regarding:

• the prescriber of the monitored drug (name, address, registration number)
• the person for whom the monitored drug is prescribed (name, address, date of birth, gender, unique number appearing on a form of identification listed on the ministry’s website)
• the monitored drug itself (name, strength, quantity, length of therapy, directions for use, drug identification number, prescription number, date of prescription, date of dispensing)

In addition, if a person who has been prescribed a monitored drug authorizes someone else to pick up the drug from a dispenser, the Minister or the Executive Officer may direct a dispenser to disclose certain personal information about that person to the Minister or the Executive Officer (such as the person’s name and address and the distinguishing number appearing on a form of identification that verifies the person’s name and address).

Once this information has been collected, the Minister and Executive Officer may only use or disclose it as permitted or required by the Act, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004. For example, subsection 5(5) of the Act permits the Minister and the Executive Officer to disclose personal information about a person who has been prescribed a monitored drug, to a prescriber, a dispenser or an operator of a pharmacy who has prescribed or dispensed such a drug to the person in the past.

The ministry’s Statement of Information Practices describes how and for what purposes the ministry may use and disclose personal health information in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004.