The federal government has taken a critically important step forward in recognizing the value of chiropractic care.

The CCA was invited as one of Canada’s leading primary care professions to the national Opioid Conference and Summit on November 18 and 19, 2016.

Opioids have quickly emerged as one of the primary means for managing acute and chronic non‐cancer pain in primary care settings. With an estimated 2,000 Canadians dying annually from prescription opioids, it is clear that we are facing a national crisis.

“Solutions must be compassionate and collaborative, and address both the immediate crisis of overdose and death as well as their root causes.”

The CCA has engaged in months of advocacy with the federal government and other health professions to build awareness that available evidence points to back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions are a leading reason for opioid prescribing. The key to addressing this crisis is to reduce the pressure to prescribe by increasing utilization of chiropractic care and addressing the underlying causes of musculoskeletal pain.