Prescription for Life:
Summary Report (June 2015)
Published by the Drug Strategy Network of Ontario (DSNO) (formerly Municipal Drug Strategy Coordinator's Network of Ontario - MDSCNO) in June 2015, this four-page report provides key actions urgently needed to improve opioid safety and reduce accidental opioid overdose fatalities and injuries.
Massive increases in opioid prescribing have made Canada a world leader in per-capita prescription opioid consumption and Ontario a leading province in opioid prescribing and high dose opioid dispensing. Ontario has experienced 14 years of increasing and record-setting opioid overdose fatalities. More than 6,000 Ontarians have died of an opioid overdose since 2000, the vast majority unintentionally. Non-fatal opioid overdoses have been estimated at 20-25 times the number of fatal overdoses and can be a significant contributor to morbidity however, data on prevalence and injury burden are limited. Opioid-related hospital emergency department (ED) visits in Ontario have increased significantly, and hospital stays across Canada are up 23%.
Massive increases in opioid prescribing have made Canada a world leader in per-capita prescription opioid consumption and Ontario a leading province in opioid prescribing and high dose opioid dispensing. Ontario has experienced 14 years of increasing and record-setting opioid overdose fatalities. More than 6,000 Ontarians have died of an opioid overdose since 2000, the vast majority unintentionally. Non-fatal opioid overdoses have been estimated at 20-25 times the number of fatal overdoses and can be a significant contributor to morbidity however, data on prevalence and injury burden are limited. Opioid-related hospital emergency department (ED) visits in Ontario have increased significantly, and hospital stays across Canada are up 23%.
