An update to this report is now available here!
The opioid overdose crisis has disproportionately impacted First Nations individuals in Ontario, Canada. Over the past several years, the Chiefs of Ontario (COO) and the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN) have been collaborating to study trends in opioid use and opioid-related poisoning among First Nations people in Ontario. Our new report examines these trends and patterns from 2013 to 2019, specifically:
- Prescription opioid use for pain, as well as high dose opioid prescribing and combined prescribing of opioids for pain and benzodiazepines
- Use of opioid agonist therapy (OAT) to treat opioid use disorder
- Emergency department visits and hospital admissions for opioid-related poisoning
- Deaths due to opioid-related poisoning
An accompanying report provides recent information on the impact of COVID-19 on trends in opioid-related poisonings. Specifically, the report describes the impact of COVID-19 on hospital visits and deaths due to opioid-related poisoning among First Nations and non-First Nations people in Ontario.
Access the full reports and associated resources: