Is Alberta’s approach to addiction truly behind the declining number of drug-poisoning deaths? – CTV
Nov. 29, 2022
While the Alberta government and federal Conservative party claim the province’s recovery-oriented care model is the reason that fatal drug poisonings have decreased by almost 50 per cent over a year, the statistic doesn’t show the full picture, cumulative data analysis shows.
Alberta’s recovery-oriented approach includes residential addiction treatment, narcotic transition services to help people reduce opioid-narcotic reliance; and opioid-agonist therapy, which involves using drugs like methadone to minimize withdrawal symptoms.
The province also distributes Naloxone, offers a mobile phone app that sends medical assistance to people who become unresponsive while taking drugs, and operates seven supervised consumption sites.
According to Alberta’s United Conservative Party and Conservative Party of Canada, the approach is responsible for overdose deaths falling by 50 per cent between November 2021’s record-breaking high and August’s much lower number.
