Nova Scotia must prepare for a potential wave of deaths due to illicit fentanyl, and must as a result be careful in addressing painkiller over-prescription, says the province's chief public health officer. Dr. Robert Strang said Wednesday the linkage of the two issues was his prime take-away from discussions at the recent national summit examining Canada's opioid crisis in Ottawa. He said Nova Scotia does have the "luxury of time" to learn from other provinces about how to deal with a problem that is gradually making its way east in Canada. Nova Scotia has recorded 49 fentanyl deaths this year, a growing figure that prompted a meeting between government and health officials late last month. "For us in Nova Scotia it's to get ahead of the problem and also address the levels of opioid misuse that we currently have."

Source: CBC News November 23, 2016 20:41 UTC