In this episode, we speak with Shannon Culkeen, a local registered nurse specializing in addiction medicine. She shares her experiences working with community members affected by addiction and offers insights into current treatment models and harm reduction practices.

Clarification from Shannon: During this podcast, Shannon sometimes uses the blanket term "opioids" when she is discussing drugs procured from the street or safer supply programs. But in clinical drug treatment programs, opioids often play a vital role: Methadone is an opioid, and so is Kadian (long-acting morphine).  Other medications, like buprenorphine, bind partially to opioid receptors.  In real life, our views of what makes a drug "illicit" vs therapeutic are never as simple as naming a single class of drugs. Keep learning!