The opioid overdose crisis continues to devastate Canadians with 2,142 apparent opioid-related deaths in the first six months of the year. That’s according to Saskatchewan Chief Medical Health Officer Doctor Saqib Shahab and Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Doctor Theresa Tam. They are co-chairs of the ‘Special Advisory Committee on the Epidemic of Opioid Overdoes.” The doctors say, “The updated Data we are releasing today underscore the need for our continued commitment across all jurisdictions to a comprehensive and collaborative approach.” Between January 2016 and June 2019, 13,913 Canadians died of an apparent opioid-related overdose in Canada. The doctors say many of these deaths are the result of the contamination of the illegal drug supply with toxic substances. They say thousands of Canadians continue to experience non-fatal overdoses each year and hundreds of thousands more are affected by problematic substance use.
The doctors say, “To have a significant and lasting impact, we need to continue working together on whole-of-society changes. This includes addressing the stigma that surrounds substance abuse, implementing further harm reduction measures, and reducing barriers to treatment.”