Ophelia Cara (also Ophelia Black) is shown in Calgary, Thursday, March 17, 2022. A judge has granted an interim injunction to the Calgary woman allowing her to continue taking a potent opioid three times a day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
CALGARY – A judge has granted an interim injunction to a Calgary woman that allows her to continue taking a potent opioid three times a day.
Ophelia Black was diagnosed with severe opioid use disorder after she became dependent on the drugs as a teen.
Her lawsuit against the Alberta government says she follows a treatment regimen that allows her to effectively manage her condition and prevents her from using street-sourced opioids.
But the province’s new standards require service providers to refrain from prescribing opioids for at-home use unless approved by a medical director.
Justice Colin Feasby says the injunction will remain in effect until her lawsuit over the new standards is resolved in court.
He says without the exemption, Black would suffer irreparable harm.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2023.
