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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