GET AHEAD OF CRISIS
As a province, Saskatchewan is not known to be on the cutting edge as a national trendsetter. When it comes to the opioid crisis, we should be thrilled to be behind the curve.
Recent stories about opioid deaths should prompt officials in Saskatchewan to ramp up activities to prevent an increase in deaths here. In Abbotsford, B.C., five people ages 40 to 67 died of overdoses in a nine-hour period on Friday. The two women and three men all died alone.
On Sunday, Winnipeg police uncovered a stash of what is believed to be fentanyl blotters with a Halloween-themed motif. They issued a warning to the public, as kids could easily be enticed to pick up and handle the paper.
Some say methamphetamine is a more pressing problem in this province. The number of opioid-related deaths actually went down in 2016 compared to 2015. Residents should, however, remember a report released in September by the Canadian Institute for Health Information that found Saskatchewan’s urban centres are actually seeing high rates of people seeking medical help for opioid poisoning.
Among 34 Canadian cities with populations greater than 100,000, Regina ranked fifth for the highest rate of opioid poisoning hospitalizations — higher than Vancouver’s rate of 20.5 per 100,000 or Toronto’s rate of 7.9 per 100,000.
Concerns prompted the provincial government to announce a task force to address opioid-related deaths. But that task force has not been active in the public space, beyond implementation of the Take Home Naloxone program. Naloxone, which also goes by the name Narcan, blocks the effects of opioids.
Saskatoon Health Region addictions consultant Dr. Peter Butt says there is a window to get ahead of the problem before it becomes as large as it is in other major Canadian cities. He said broad public education is needed, including the fact that fentanyl can be laced in other drugs like meth and marijuana.
It would be helpful if the province funded Naloxone kits not just for addicts, but for parents and others connected to those who may overdose. Increased access to methadone and buprenorphine treatments — as well as hiring nurse practitioners to prescribe them — would also help the province handle opioid addictions. Some other provinces have attached addictions medicine clinics to emergency rooms.
Of course, people do not need to wait for the government to act. Parents need to educate themselves and their children on the dangers, including how fentanyl can be masked as, and in, other drugs.
We do not want to say we could have done more to save lives.