Alberta records deadliest year for drug overdoses in 2021
Posted Mar 18, 2022 12:48 pm.
Last Updated Mar 18, 2022 5:27 pm.
Alberta recorded its deadliest year on record for drug overdoses in 2021.
On Thursday, the province released data showing 176 people died in both November and December bringing the yearly total to 1,758.
NEW:
Alberta sees a record 176 drug poisoning deaths in both November and December.
A record 1,758 people died in 2021, up from the previous record 1,358 in 2020- an increase of 29.4%.#yeg #Yyc #ableg pic.twitter.com/DcSr0LETIv
— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) March 18, 2022
Not only did both months hit grim milestones, the highest single-month totals ever, but they capped off the worst year since Alberta began collecting data in 2016.
Most overdose fatalities are linked to opioids and took place in Calgary and Edmonton.
“I don’t even have words for it. Heartbreaking doesn’t feel strong enough,” said Patty Wilson, a Calgary nurse practitioner who works on the front line.
“It’s maddening. It’s rage-inducing. It’s heartbreaking. It feels like your efforts on the front line feel futile because you know what you’re doing isn’t enough. It’s all of those things and even more,” says Wilson.
Related Article: Alberta drug overdoses increasing in shelters, addiction centres: health workers
Wilson said she would like to see the government address it as a drug poisoning crisis instead of an addiction crisis.
“We need to replace the poison with something that’s not poisonous,” said Wilson, adding there is a need for safe supply programs, which offer safer alternatives to street-level drugs.”
The two Alberta cities both recorded the worst months for poisonings in November and December. Edmonton saw a nearly 43 per cent increase in drug poisonings compared to 2020, while Calgary saw a nearly 23 per cent increase.
Calgary also had its two worst month for deadly drug poisonings in November and December (53 and 56).
There were 555 deaths in 2021 vs 453 in 2020 (+22.5%)
There were 498 opioid deaths in 2021 vs 392 in 2020.
— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) March 18, 2022
But Lethbridge had the highest rate of drug poisoning deaths in those final two months, more than doubling the provincial average.
The two-month total is a 33 per cent increase compared to the same time period in 2020.
Not only did Alberta see a high number of poisonings and opioid-related deaths, but ER visits and hospitalizations also jumped to new record highs.
Mike Ellis, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, announced Friday an expansion to its overdose response mobile application and virtual opioid dependency program in Medicine Hat.
Ellis said there is a need for treatment and recovery services at the forefront.
“The answer’s not more drugs. The answer is not keeping people in a perpetual state of pain and suffering,” he said. “People have a right to access treatments. People have a right to access recovery.”
Related Article: Edmonton physicians call on province for more timely drug poisoning data
Ellis also announced $825,000 for Our Collective Journey, a Medicine Hat organization that addresses addiction and mental health challenges in the community.
Meanwhile, the Opposition New Democrats slammed the UCP, calling the government’s approach to rising overdose deaths a “deadly and catastrophic failure.”
Lori Sigurdson, the NDP critic for mental health and addictions, said in a statement that Ellis and the UCP have failed not only those who have died and their loved ones but health-care, outreach, and emergency workers who see the devastation first-hand.
“Albertans cannot trust the UCP to protect lives and deploy an effective, science-based response to this public health crisis,” said Sigurdson.
