British Columbia declared a public health emergency in April 2016. That year, 775 people died from fentanyl overdoses in British Columbia alone. While some deaths are a result of people knowingly taking fentanyl, others occur through unknowing consumption.
In a blog for the Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation, Research Associate Andrew Scarffe and Associate Professor David Barrett discuss the opioid crisis and the need for government action.
"We must further set aside any personal biases towards illicit drug users, and must address the fentanyl crisis with the same (or greater) urgency as we have with previous incidences of other unsuspecting individuals exposed to harmful agents," they write.
