More than one in four deaths among young Canadians between 2019 and 2021 were opioid-related, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased use of fentanyl potentially playing significant roles, according to new research. A study published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) found that during the same years, premature deaths related to opioids … Read more
Eight years to the day after British Columbia declared a public health emergency, Premier David Eby said the toxic drug crisis has had a “catastrophic impact” on families and communities. “Every life taken by this crisis is a loss to our community — they are friends, parents, siblings and children. To the families, friends and … Read more
Peer-reviewed research is emerging about the possible impact of British Columbia’s safer supply program, which provides prescription alternatives to toxic illicit drugs. Two studies in international medical journals cast the strategy in a different light. One found the program was associated with a reduced risk of death from overdose and other causes among opioid-using participants, … Read more
The federal Liberal government is rejecting a proposal from the Alberta government to consider adding a “unique chemical identifier” to the pharmaceuticals being offered to users as an alternative to street drugs. Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks wrote Monday to her counterpart in Alberta, saying that while she takes concerns about diversion seriously, … Read more
Weight loss jabs could be a new weapon in the battle against drug addiction, quelling cravings for powerful narcotics as well as calories. The injections, including Wegovy, are being offered on the NHS to people who are obese via specialist weight management services. Now, a US study suggests the relatively cheap treatment could be as … Read more
Fatal drug overdoses from smoking substances, rather than injection, has increased dramatically in the United States, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found. Injection-related overdoses were previously the most commonly documented route for drug deaths in the country. However, a report published Thursday found that the rate decreased by … Read more
An Ontario mayor declared a state of emergency after nearly 20 people overdosed in 24 hours. And Quebec City health authorities have issued new warnings after detecting an opioid 25 times stronger than fentanyl disguised as prescription oxycodone. Experts say both events demonstrate worsening trends in Canada’s drug supply and opioid crisis, even as they … Read more
On a cool Thursday afternoon in Ottawa, veteran police officer Sgt. Avery Flanagan approaches a man hunched over in a downtown parking lot. He has crushed opioids in one hand and a needle in the other. Flanagan tells the man, who appears to be in his 20s, he can’t use drugs on private property. “Have … Read more
U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday struggled over whether to approve OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy settlement, voicing concern the deal would shield its wealthy Sackler family owners from lawsuits over their role in a deadly opioid epidemic while also worrying that scuttling it could harm victims. The court heard arguments in an appeal by President Joe Biden’s administration … Read more
