Sadly, opioids continue to make headlines. A quick search of Google news, for example, shows that Alberta had its highest opioid-related death totals on record in 2023, while a class-action lawsuit was recently authorized to proceed in Quebec against 16 pharmaceutical companies for their role in manufacturing, selling, marketing and distributing opioid drugs.
This is just a taste of what Ottawa calls a “public health crisis” that is having “a tragic impact on people who use substances, their families, and communities across the country.”
As further proof of the growing problem: From January to September 2023, there were 5,975 apparent opioid toxicity deaths in Canada — or 22 deaths per day — which is eight per cent higher than 2022, says the federal government. There were also 4,646 opioid-related poisoning hospitalizations (13% higher than 2022) and 21,708 opioid-related poisoning emergency department visits (14% higher than in 2022).
