By Cecilia Nasmith

Compassion for the opoid-addicted was the concern of one presenter at Monday's committee-of-the-whole Cobourg council meeting.

As one relatively new in town, Mark Anthony has been pleased to see this kind of discussion taking place in an open forum like the Oct. 1 round-table event organized by Councillor Adam Bureau.

It's difficult for Anthony to discuss his own experiences, he said, because he is a private person. But it's an important conversation to have.

“A little over four years ago, I finally won my battle and made some observations I would like to share.”

First of all, the community must be aware of the extent of the problem. For every addict who can be identified, he figures there are “multitudes more who are able to hide it.

“For eight years, I was a functioning addict. But sooner or later, it catches up with all of us.”

When an addict does (as Anthony put it) see the light, harm-reduction measures are vital. In his own case, seeing others succeed in the process of recovery was the biggest inspiration in quitting opioids completely. In the broader community, they help lower crime rates and keep money out of the hands of criminals.

That support is invaluable for the long process of recovery, he said, those weeks and months where insomnia and fatigue scuttle every intention.

In his case, a loving and supportive family also made a big difference by offering safe, free housing. Without this personal-support network, he added, many recovery efforts are doomed to failure.

From his own experiences, Anthony had three suggestions for the town.

First, “always look at ways to improve access to harm-reduction services.” If such services are unpredictable and undependable, they will be less effective.

Second, consider a pilot program (perhaps in partnership with another municipality) for individuals identified by front-line workers who most need housing supports to provide something in the nature of a room with small creature comforts like a bed and a TV for up to three months.

His third suggestion hearkens back to the public-works crews in days of old to provide preoccupation and some form of employment.

Bureau commended Anthony for overcoming his shame to speak publicly about his experiences.

“I want to say you should be feeling proud,” the councillor said.

“Not only does it take strength to come off that and be rehabilitated, it takes so much character-building, it takes pain, it takes effort – and not a lot of people can do that. You are one strong person, and you should be proud.”

“We are so glad you call Cobourg home, and I find your strength inspiring,” Councillor Nicole Beatty added.

Asked by Councillor Emily Chorley what specifics he could suggest on his third idea, Anthony mentioned the medicinal cannabis that had been helpful in his recovery efforts. Perhaps Cobourg could become the first publicly owned licensed producer.

“If it was a for-profit business, you could use its profits to create much-needed revenue to create potentially life-saving medicine for those who need it, and for the aging population,” he said.

“But there are certainly other options as well.”

Council voted to receive his presentation for information purposes, and to refer it to Northumberland County in hopes of getting their assistance in looking at ways to improve harm-reduction services.