The Opioid Crisis in Canada: Preventing Addiction 

The Opioid Crisis in Canada, Preventing Addiction
Introduction
The last ten years have seen an international public health epidemic of opiate addiction. Overdose deaths have quadrupled in Canada. Due to the increase in drug misuse, sophisticated and creative solutions to the current opioid problem have been created. Users of illegal opioids will need detoxification treatment, medication, and support services in the upcoming fourth fiscal year and without any additional funds to give long-term solutions to this crisis. There are numerousstrategies for steps and long-term solutions on how Canada may lessen its reliance on opiates more than ever before, and the current opioid crisis is confronting and appalling.
Canada needs long-term solutions to this epidemic. Answers should include detoxification of addicts, medication, and support services to keep people off of illicit opioids or to keep them from relapsing. The general public cannot remain inactive on this issue. The current opioid crisis is increasing severity each year, and Canadians must find a way to remove their reliance on opiates for everyday activities. There is a need for a persistent, long-term solution to the opioid crisis in Canada.
Canada’s federal government has indicated that it will push to provide a national drug strategy to stem the tide of increasing opioid-related overdose deaths. This national drug strategy would outline the current crisis with short-term and long-term solutions. It would outline ways to prevent further opioid-related deaths and ensure that those at risk for an overdose have improved access to resources to help them overcome their addictions.
The Stigma and Shame Associated With Drug Use
Instead of working to lessen the stigma and shame associated with drug use—stigma and humiliation that can discourage some from seeking help or treatment—the language of overdoses is used to maintain that stigma and disgrace. By referring to a person’s heroin usage as an “epidemic” rather than someone who has developed an addiction, it implies that they lead a life controlled by the drug (Krausz et al., 2020). In the context of using drugs by injection, non-fatal opioid overdoses are not unavoidable or even expected. With quick reactions and interventions, they are avoidable. 79 (Collins et al., 2018). To stop opioid overdoses, we must alter the language we use when discussing this subject.
Opioid-Induced Depression
Many fatal overdoses occur due to opioid-induced respiratory depression. Opioid overdose can lead to breathing difficulties and death in as little as two minutes after the first use of an illicit opioid such as fentanyl. It can happen when a person uses illegal opioids and is regularly monitored by health professionals or receives access to adequate emergency medical care soon enough. Nearly 90 percent of all opioid-associated deaths in Canada occur outside of a healthcare setting. It is because most people who have overdosed on opioids are not in contact with addiction treatment professionals and are not monitored closely enough by family or friends for signs of an impending overdose.Research undertaken by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse has indicated that only 4 out of 10 people who need addiction treatment in Canada receive it. The majority of treatment providers in Canada do not follow evidence-based practices. It indicates a significant opportunity for the government of Canada to develop better national strategies for preventing opioid misuse and abuse, increasing access to effective addiction treatments, and monitoring patients with substance use disorders.
Reduce Incarceration Rates
To effectively address the current opioid crisis in Canada, governments must continue investing in harm reduction initiatives. Canada has some of the highest incarceration rates in the world, costing approximately $70 billion each year. Spending time in jail only exacerbates a person’s use of opiates and removes them from the treatment system. The federal government should reduce incarceration rates by implementing programs to help drug users access better addiction treatments and monitor their recovery. In addition, governments must improve access to effective addiction treatment. Although Canada is one of the best countries in the world in providing adequate access to health care, it is still low compared to other wealthier countries such as Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Sweden.
Impact on Society, Individuals, As Well As the Economy
The opioid crisis in Canada has had a profound impact on society, individuals, as well as the economy. Opioids are influential in helping soldiers deal with pain and disorientation from being wounded. Opioids are effective at treating cancer pain. In some cases, opioids treat those who have suffered a heart attack (Collins et al., 2018). The diversity of patients treated with opioids in Canada is just as wide. Addiction is a brain disease, and it is also well known that most people who use an illicit drug do not develop an addiction to that drug. It is, therefore, essential to reduce both addictions and overdoses of illegal opioids in Canada.
The Negative Consequences of the Opioid Epidemic
The early warning symptoms of a drug problem are frequently undetectable and obscure. Often, impacted persons exhibit odd body language, such as slouching and rocking (Lancet, 2021). If people continue to use drugs, this could result in a lower quality of life. Their eyes and skin pigmentation are telltale signs of drug abuse (i.e., yellow tint). Not only can effects be recognized, but sure signs can also assist people in figuring out whether a person is abusing substances or overdosing. Numerous people have died from the opioid epidemic, which has also caused severe physical and psychological harm and a significant economic burden. Utilizing opioids results in the emergence of addiction. According to the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 64% of opioid users with a year or more of use matched the criteria for addiction (Klopfenstein, 2018). Compulsive drug use and a decreased ability to resist cravings are two signs that define addiction. Because they have bind qualities that alter feelings of well-being, interpersonal trust, social competence, and optimism, opioids are also very addictive.
IncreasesCorrelate with Increasing Rates of Prescription Opioids
Deaths from overdoses caused by opioid analgesics have grown by around 500% in the last 20 years. While the number of deaths attributable to morphine and heroin was comparable in 2018 and 2021, heroin deaths outnumbered morphine deaths in 2019. (Kolla et al., 2022). High societal and personal costs are associated with opioid-related fatalities. The number of emergency room visits connected to heroin surged by about 400% between 2018 and 2021, while the number of adult treatment admissions for heroin abuse jumped from 9,263 to 25,122 during that same period. These increases are related to rising prescription opioid use, including oxycodone.
CoordinatedEfforts across Government, Policing, And the Medical Sector
One of the four central tenets of Canada’s National Drugs Strategy is to decrease opioid-related mortality while also increasing the safety of prescription opioids. Informed by public health concepts, the first pillar consists of prevention, harm reduction, and treatment. The second pillar entails enforcing rules and laws to disrupt the opioid supply chain (Taha et al., 2019). The third pillar, concerned with prevention, treatment, and harm minimization, seeks to “improve access to addiction treatment programs and minimize prescription opioid painkiller-related overdose deaths.” The fourth pillar of prevention is a reaction to identify newly developing public health issues and provide solutions that have been tried and confirmed in the past.
Opioid overdoses are decreased in Canada through medical measures. Canada has approved a national program based on three essential components: supervised injection sites (SISs), pharmacologic addiction treatment using injectable hydromorphone as a heroin substitute, and increased availability of the naloxone antidote. The first is that “Supervised Injection Sites” (SIS) are already in operation across much of Canada. To create a safe atmosphere for consumers to take narcotics and obtain emergency medical care should things go wrong, SIS are locations where people can use drugs under supervision.Treatments with methadone or hydromorphone. These services enable naloxone, an opioid overdose antidote (Wood, 2018). With the help of methadone or other opioid substitutes, Canada has been able to treat opioid addictions. The theory is that by having access to these opioid replacements, opioid addicts can regulate their drug use and lessen the withdrawal symptoms that can arise when attempting to quit using. In several regions of Canada, “wider distribution of the antidote naloxone” is also in use. The plan is to distribute naloxone kits all around the county so that anyone who needs them can find them in the event of an overdose.
Possible Solution to This Catastrophic Opioid Crisis in Canada
Canadians need to take action to curb the expansion of the illicit drug trade as one potential solution to the country’s dire opioid issue. Canada should establish a national overdose app to lower the fatality rate associated with current opiate misuse. Canada ought to ensure that opiate addicts’ drugs are less addictive, more efficient, and prescribed early in therapy(Kolla et al., 2022). Those who choose to take part in this program with private insurance should be reimbursed by the federal government, which should also offer free, round-the-clock addiction treatment services. Canada needs to pay attention to First Nations’ worries about opioid use and meet their needs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the opioid crisis in Canada is becoming more severe. Opioid abuse has damaged countless lives and causes many deaths every year. In reducing opioid abuse, it is essential to assess how this crisis has developed and what measures were taken to prevent the epidemic. There are many possible solutions to reduce opioid overdoses across all levels of government, healthcare, education systems, law enforcement agencies, and society. Canada has implemented programs to stop the illegal drug trade from growing, ensure opioid addiction treatments are quicker and provide naloxone kits. The federal government has allocated money to train first responders and others who may encounter those suffering from overdoses. These programs are not enough. Canada’s National Drugs Strategy is a coordinated effort by all levels of government to reduce opioid abuse in Canada. The pillar of the strategy is prevention, harm reduction, and treatment, as well as combating opioid supply and the supply chain of opioids through rigorous enforcement and regulations.

Reference
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