OTTAWA, Canada – More than 1,000 Canadians died of an apparent opioid overdose in the first three months of this year, bringing the toll since the public health crisis erupted in 2016 to 8,000, the public health agency said Tuesday. The westermost provinces of British Columbia and Alberta provinces continue to be hardest hit, said the public health agency. Authorities have stepped up efforts to try to curb the number of opioid deaths, such as widely distributing naloxone kits to treat overdoses. In August, British Columbia sued more than 40 drug companies to recover the costs of emergency paramedic responses and hospitalizations for overdoses. Overprescribing and illicit sales of diverted painkillers have been widely blamed for the opioid crisis sweeping North America.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 18, 2018 23:37 UTC