OTTAWA — Only a tiny percentage of Canadians who’ve received medical assistance to end their lives has chosen to self-administer a lethal drug cocktail. But that could change now that secobarbital — the drug most commonly used for assisted suicide in other countries — is available in Canada. Green said the unavailability of secobarbital may, at least in part, explain the small number of self-administered deaths. Green expects that self-administered deaths will increase somewhat now that secobarbital is available. The drug may be particularly helpful in rural or remote areas where it may be difficult to find a nearby physician or nurse practitioner willing to provide an assisted death, Green added.

Source: National Post November 17, 2017 09:00 UTC