June 23rd 2014 GPDOTS sent a letter to the Nova Scotia Minister of Justice, Lena Diab regarding our concern with overdose death investigation protocol and officer education in prescription drugs. We felt the need to voice our concerns after hearing repeated stories about families who lost loved ones to rx drug overdoses and experienced  delays, no investigations, substandard investigations, and lack of communication from enforcement which has led to formal complaints. This letter was signed and endorsed by our Enforcement Consultant, Rob Mulloy, a recently retired RCMP officer who had been working on the front lines for over 25 years. The letter was also signed by two Directors who have personally experienced substandard police investigations.

See full letter here : GPDOTS letter to the Minister of Justice

One month later GPDOTS received a reply and instead of seeking out more information in regards to our concerns or offering to pass these concerns onto a multi-disciplinary committee (which includes representation from law enforcement and staff from her department) focused on prescription drug abuse, the Minster informed us she believe’s that the RCMP and other policing agencies in Nova Scotia have policy, training and education to deal effectively with investigations related to prescription drugs.

GPDOTS has formally replied to Minister Diab: Reply to Minister of Justice

We would like to urge the public and professionals who share the same concerns as our organization to write or call Minister Diab and express your disappointment with her lack of interest in this important issue which is impacting communities across our province. The Minister’s contact information is as follows:

Department of Justice
4th Floor, 5151 Terminal Road
P.O. Box 7
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 2L6Phone: (902) 424-4044
Fax: (902) 424-0510
justmin@gov.ns.ca

UPDATE: Minister’s reply and invitation to meet