Drugs Since 2016, fentanyl has been responsible for nearly 50k deaths in Canada

Canada records  nearly 50,000  fentanyl deaths since 2016
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The highly addictive opioid is  causing a growing number of deaths in Canada,  government says.
opioid
A fentanyl user  demonstrates a  "safe supply" of opioid alternatives in  downtown East Vancouver, British Columbia .
Fentanyl is increasingly  the leading cause of opioid overdose deaths in Canada, according to new government  data.
The national health agency  said Monday that nearly 50,000 people in the North American country died  of opioid  overdoses between January 2016  and June  2024.
During that period, fentanyl, a highly addictive synthetic opioid sometimes prescribed for pain relief,  was responsible for 49,105  deaths.
At the  same time, the proportion of  deaths from fentanyl has increased, the  data shows, accounting for  79% of opioid deaths so far this year.  That's a  39% increase since  2016.
The data was released just weeks before  US President-elect Donald Trump  took office.
Trump's upcoming inauguration has  brought more attention to the opioid crisis in North  America. The president-elect  has threatened to impose  25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico if  those neighbors don't do more to stem the flow of drugs and undocumented  immigrants crossing the  United States.
The Canadian government last week announced a  series of new border measures aimed at  alleviating Trump's concerns,  although the president-elect's claims  are not  backed by enough data.
U.S. Customs and Border  Protection said less than  20 kilograms of fentanyl  were seized at the  Canada-U.S. border in  2023. However, Canadian authorities have warned of an increase in domestic production of fentanyl in the country, with law enforcement focusing more on  the precursor chemicals used to make the  substance.
Canada's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said  that seizures of  Canadian fentanyl in the  United States, Australia and other countries  show that domestic production exceeds demand and  that Canada has become a net  exporter of fentanyl.
The overall rate of opioid overdoses has declined compared  to last year, according to Health  Canada.
Health Canada said an average of 21 people  have died each day from  an apparent opioid  overdose so far this  year, an  11% drop from  2023.
The agency  cautioned, however, that the  figures were preliminary and subject to  change. "We must  be cautious in  our conclusions  about trends for 2024,"  he said in a  statement.
"Rates of  harm from opioids and  stimulants remain very high."


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