More than 75 per cent of fatal drug overdoses in Montreal occurred at home, public health finds | 24CA News
Montreal public well being authorities say 175 deaths associated to suspected drug overdoses occurred within the metropolis over the previous 12 months and nearly all of these fatalities befell at residence.
The newest knowledge was launched Thursday to coincide with International Overdose Awareness Day, a world marketing campaign designed to finish overdoses.
The division, which compiled statistics from August 2022 to July 2023, notes that 77 per cent — or greater than three out of 4 — of the deaths occurred at residence.
Of the 175 Montrealers who died, 9 per cent had been homeless. Public well being authorities additionally famous that overdosing doesn’t discriminate in the case of age, however these between the ages of 40 and 59 had been notably affected.
Suspected drug-related fatalities additionally disproportionately have an effect on males within the metropolis, with 138 who died within the final 12 months. Meanwhile, 38 ladies died in the identical time interval.
Montreal’s public well being division says there have been additionally “many lives” saved by group organizations, paramedics, first responders and residents. This contains 708 emergency interventions at supervised consumption websites, the place individuals can convey their very own medication to make use of within the presence of educated workers.
Paramedics additionally carried out 547 interventions throughout the town utilizing naloxone, a medicine that reverses opioid overdoses.
Public well being authorities stated “contamination and instability of drugs sold on the illicit market, stigma and criminalization are among the many contributing factors that need to be addressed.”
“There is an urgent need to act,” the division stated in an announcement.
The newest numbers come a few month after the Quebec authorities introduced a lift in funding for supervised consumption websites in Montreal as the town grapples with homelessness and an increase in suspected drug-related deaths.
The province put aside an extra $1.5 million for companies focused to drug customers, together with $1.2 million that can go to 4 organizations within the downtown, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Village neighbourhoods.
— with information from The Canadian Press
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
