Too many people have died in Canada from opioid overdoses, according to the latest news release from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), which is advocating a more lenient approach to drug users in an effort to bolster support for more harm-reduction strategies.
The issue was discussed in a recent joint statement from the co-chairs of the Special Advisory Committee on the Epidemic of Opioid Overdoses.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer and Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's Chief Medical Officer of Health, spoke out in a statement issued March 24 to say the opioid crisis is worsening partly because of the "increasingly toxic illegal drug supply," but also because of the "heightened feelings of isolation, stress, anxiety and depression, and greater barriers in accessing health and social supports.”
The national report also showed increasing numbers of opioid overdoses across the country, especially in the period between January and September 2020.
The overall increases were mirrored in statistics released earlier this year by the Sudbury Community Drug Strategy, which is made up of Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD), Greater Sudbury Police Service, Health Sciences North and the City of Greater Sudbury. Also, recent numbers released by the group show that in January and February this year, emergency department visits for suspected overdoses were up in January, when compared to 2019 and 2020. That number took a big drop in February. No reason was given, but the overdose visits in February 2021 were roughly half the visit numbers of 2019 and 2020.
Also in late January, Public Health Sudbury and Districts issued a community drug warning to say it was suspected that more deaths were occurring locally because of overdoses caused by illicit street drugs.
"The Community Drug Strategy has received reports of a higher number of suspected opioid overdoses in Greater Sudbury, some of these resulting in deaths," said the warning.
"While we cannot confirm the substance that has caused the overdoses, this situation serves as an important reminder to the community that street drugs may be cut or mixed with substances such as fentanyl or carfentanil, and that even a very small amount of these substances can cause an overdose."
In the national warning issued last week, it was reported that opioid overdoses can also result in permanent harms to illicit drug users.
"New analyses indicate that more than four per cent of those hospitalized with opioid-related overdoses have brain injuries due to a lack of oxygen. Effects of these injuries can be life long and include paralysis, reduced physical and cognitive functioning, and behavioural changes," said the report.
It was also stated that even when emergency interventions happen in overdose cases, and lives are saved, permanent harms can persist that can drastically impact that person's quality of life. These findings highlight why our collective efforts to prevent overdoses remain critical. The report said Canada needs to take more action to reduce drug abuse and overdoses.
"In light of the record numbers of overdoses and deaths reported in this release, our focus remains clear,” said the report.
“We must continue to bolster support for solutions that help people who use substances or live with addiction during COVID-19 and beyond.
“This includes: continued support for harm reduction measures; providing a safer supply of drugs to people who are at risk of overdose; increasing access to, distribution of, and training on how to use take-home naloxone kits; strengthening awareness of how to reduce harms of opioids and other drugs; and ending the stigma surrounding substance use."
Harm reduction is also a key part of the Sudbury community drug strategy which is actively working to locate a venue for a supervised drug consumption site; a place where users can gather in a place to inject their drugs without interference from others, but with professional care nearby in case an overdose situation occurs.
