Opioid poisoning takes a toll in city
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on August 9, 2023.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com Ten people died by opioid poisoning in Lethbridge in May, according to provincial data.That brings the total of opioid-related deaths in the city to 67 in Lethbridge this year.
May is the latest date for which data is available.
Province-wide there were 151 drug poisoning deaths in May. For the year, there were 769 deaths through May.
In all of 2022, the city had 77 drug poisoning deaths.
The highest number of deaths this year was in April with 21. February and March both had 14 deaths while there were 8 in January.
The highest monthly number of opioid related deaths in 2022 occurred in January when there were 20.
Medicine Hat has recorded a total of 12 opioid related deaths this year. In all of 2022, it had 21 deaths.
In the entire South Zone, this year there have been 107 opioid related deaths; in 2022 there were 145.
Province-wide this year of the 769 drug poisoning deaths, 529 or 68.8 per cent have been male with the other 240 being female.
Eighty-nine of the male deaths have been in the 35-39 age category and 48 female deaths were in that category.
According to the Alberta.ca website, drug categories are not mutually exclusive and multiple substances can contribute to a death.
Fentanyl is listed as being involved in 90 per cent of accidental drug poisoning deaths and methamphetamine 58 per cent. Carfentantil is listed at 15 per cent, cocaine 13 per cent and alcohol 11 per cent.
So far the Opioid Dependency Program, which provides methadone or Suboxone initiation and maintenance treatment to people who are dependent on opioids and helps them to access services, has treated 69 people in the South Zone this year. Province-wide there have been 4,385 people treated in 2023. In 2022, there were a total of 7,879 treated. Follow @albeebHerald on Twitter 4
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