Lisa Lapointe says 529 people died in 2015, but that number nearly doubled a few months after the public health declaration.
Lisa Lapointe says 529 people died in 2015, but that number nearly doubled a few months after the public health declaration, and death records have been shattered again and again.
Lapointe says illicit drugs are so toxic that fentanyl is killing 80 per cent of substance users and an overdose-reversing drug is increasingly not useful because substances often contain a benzodiazepine that knocks people out. Lapointe says she’s frustrated that 2,232 people died of overdose last year, but emergency action hasn’t happened during a public health emergency that seems to have no end.
She says it’s time for a novel response that would also include a clear path to treatment so people aren’t dying on wait-lists, as well as research into whether services offered by private organizations are effective. Lapointe says the province needs to bring together a panel of experts for a co-ordinated response because the public is increasingly realizing that addiction is a health issue that isn’t getting the full attention it deserves.Get unlimited, ad-lite access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites for just $14/month or $140/year. Subscribe now through
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