Great article, & encouraging news from the CMA membership.

The concern physicians express is yet another forceful argument for team practice. Mental health, mental illness, substance use, substance misuse are under-recognized specialized fields, requiring far more knowledge & skills than most physicians in this situation will have. The concept of an egalitarian team, with mental health AND substance use (they are not the same) members (as well as NPs, etc.) is critical to coherent & coordinated care. 

There must be such teams in the province, but I'm not aware of any in my Northern rural area. When there ARE teams (and they're thin on the ground), they are led & governed by the physician member--who is NOT a member but a manager. 

As a society, we invest far too much "magic" in physicians, & far too little in complementary professions. This has to stop. It does not serve patients well, nor their families and communities, nor the health system, nor, apparently, physicians themselves.