Infographic: Government of Canada - Federal Actions on Opioids

Organization: Health Canada

Type: Poster

Published: 2018-09-05

Related Topics

• Opioids

(As of September 2018)

Increased access to treatment

• NEW: Removed regulatory barriers to allow nurses to transport controlled substances
• NEW: Supporting the development of a national treatment guideline for injectable opioid agonist treatment
• NEW: Funding pilot projects on injectable opioid agonist therapies
• NEW: Improving access to treatment services through an Emergency Treatment Fund for provinces and territories
• Allowed the import of medications approved elsewhere for urgent public health needs
• Facilitated methadone prescribing and use of medical heroin
• Increased opioid agonist therapy in federal correctional facilities
• Increased access to, and availability of culturally appropriate treatment for Indigenous communities

Increased access to harm reduction

• NEW: Providing enhanced funding through the Substance Use and Addiction Program
• NEW: Launching a drug checking technology challenge
• Approved more than 25 supervised consumption sites
• Enabled establishment of overdose prevention sites
• Facilitated access to naloxone
• Supported legislation to protect individuals who seek emergency assistance for overdose
• Authorized drug checking services at supervised consumption sites
• Launched pilot project to examine needle exchange programs in federal correctional facilities

Increased awareness and prevention

• Continuing efforts to expand public awareness around stigma
• Pursuing aggressive restrictions on opioid marketing activities and providing new resources to enforce existing rules
• Supported the development of opioid prescribing guidelines and national treatment guidelines for opioid use disorders
• Updated opioid product monographs
• Informing Canadians about the risks of opioids:
  • Know More Campaign awareness tour for high school students across Canada
  • Opioid warning sticker/ patient handout
  • Summer festivals and post-secondary orientation activities and resources

Decreased tainted drug supply

• Continued implementation of a national operational strategy aimed at detecting, disrupting and dismantling criminal networks
• Equipped border agents with tools to intercept fentanyl and other dangerous substances at the border
• Working with international partners to reduce the illegal opioid supply
• Supporting education and training for law enforcement

Increased evidence

• Coordinating national data collection and publishing quarterly reports on apparent opioid-related deaths and harms
• Publishing quarterly reports on drugs seized by law enforcement
• Supporting research and knowledge sharing
• Increasing our understanding of Canadians' knowledge of the opioid issue, risks and willingness to act

#StopOverdoses

Learn more at CANADA.CA/OPIOIDS

Together, We Can #StopOverdoses

In response to this complex crisis, the Government of Canada is taking a comprehensive, collaborative and compassionate public health approach focused on:

• Prevention
• Treatment
• Harm reduction
• Enforcement

This approach is supported by a strong evidence base.
Going forward, we will continue to address the crisis by:

• working to increase access to treatment;
• supporting innovative approaches;
• improving access to public health data;
• intercepting illegal opioids at the border; and,
• addressing stigma related to opioid use.

Approximately 7, 000 lives lost in 2016 and 2017 due to apparent opioid-related overdose

34% increase in the number of opioid-related deaths from 2016 to 2017

78% of apparent opioid-related deaths in 2017 occurred among men

Opioid-related deaths are now the leading cause of mortality among Canadians between ages 30 and 39

2016: 55%; 2017: 72% - Percent of accidental apparent opioid-related deaths involving fentanyl or fentanyl analogues

For full details on data sources and considerations, please visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/national-report-apparent-opioid-related-deaths-released-june-2018.html