BBD – Opioid Crisis

Background

While Canada was already in the midst of an opioid crisis when COVID-19 began, harms associated with substance use have increased dramatically during the pandemic. Many services used by people who use drugs (PWUD) were closed as providers shifted toward virtual or telephone care. Pandemic restrictions and physical distancing requirements exacerbated the isolation experienced by PWUD, leading many to use alone and increasing the number of overdoses. At the same time, poverty and housing precarity were increasing, and PWUD faced a toxic drug supply. This combination proved deadly, with 94 suspected drug-related deaths in Peterborough County and City and 10 probable deaths in Bancroft and surrounding area since the pandemic began. Access to safe consumption sites, safe supply, outreach, affordable housing, and stigma reduction initiatives will help us build back differently.