On February 19, 2025, the Province of BC announced that the use of prescribed alternatives must be witnessed by a health professional. While these changes went into effect immediately for all new patients, the transition of existing clients to witnessed dosing required development of guidance and resources for health care professionals. Important: This policy change does not apply to opioid agonist treatment (OAT), including take-home OAT doses.
The British Columbia Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) has developed an
Interim Clinical Resource: Transition to Witnessed Dosing for Prescribed Alternatives to support the safe transition of existing clients from non-witnessed to witnessed doses. This clinical resource will support clinicians and patients while provincial policy amendments are being further developed, and replaces guidance previously published by the BCCSU, including the Opioid Use Disorder Practice Update.