The first half of 2024 saw nearly 3,800 Canadians die from an apparent opioid-related overdose.
That's according to new data from the Public Health Agency of Canada released on Monday.
The majority happened in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta. Only around 18 per cent involved pharmaceutical opioids such as fentanyl.
The number of deaths is down 11 per cent from 2023, however, it still averages out to around 21 deaths per day.
During the first six months, there were over 13,000 emergency department visits related to opioid poisonings. This comes out to approximately 73 visits a day.
The new deaths bring the total since the start of 2016 to over 49,000.
