In response to concerns that prescription drug abuse is negatively affecting the health and social well being of the Peoples of Treaties No 6, 7 and 8, the Assembly of Treaty Chiefs expressed their concern and resolved to support efforts to “fight the prevalence of prescription drug abuse in Treaty No. 6, Treaty No. 7 and Treaty No. 8 First Nations communities in Alberta” and passed a resolution to support the development of an Alberta Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Strategy. 

Development of the Strategy is now underway, and many of the activities and events are captured in this website.  The following are a few of the key goals of this Strategy:

1. Directly engage all Alberta First Nations in educational and participatory action research processes where members actively participate in the development of the process and have clear ownership of outcomes.
2. Adhere to First Nations Principles of Ownership, Control, Access and Possession and ethical research practices.
3. Promote the traditional knowledge of Elders and take a cultural perspective throughout. 
4. Explore development and/or enhancement of services within the continuum of care of prevention/education, intervention (community-based and residential treatment) and aftercare/relapse prevention.
5. Develop partnerships with local, provincial and federal agencies and services to support information sharing and expand existing resources.
6. Contribute to systemic approaches that address prescription drug abuse by contributing to the existing body of strategies and evidence-based literature.