Overdose is not a rare event. It is a real and ongoing risk for many people.
- 1 in 3 reported an overdose in the past 6 months
- 13% injected alone every time in the past 6 months
“Many people who use drugs maintain strong ties to family and community. At the same time, substance use is frequently hidden due to stigma.”
Prevention and overdose responses must be civil, accessible, realistic, pragmatic and stigma free.
Overdose risk isn’t limited to injecting or to opioids.
Fentanyl was the most commonly reported substance, followed by heroin and methamphetamine.
More people reported smoking (60%) rather than injecting drugs (47%) at their last overdose
Overdose prevention efforts must include people who smoke drugs.
Naloxone works.
| 98% |
45% |
59% |
72% |
62% |
| have heard of naloxone |
carry naloxone |
trained in the past year |
have ever used naloxone on someone |
have ever had naloxone used on them |
"Naloxone matters, but it is not the only tool needed to keep people safe."
"People who use drugs are already saving lives and keeping each other alive."
Naloxone training and distribution, plus other overdose prevention, response and wrap-around services must be accessible for all routes of use.
Acknowledgements: This resource was developed collaboratively by the People with lived and living experiences of substance use working group and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Special recognition is extended to Lauren Cameron, Jordan Melnychuk, Alta Bernard, survey participants and the sentinel site teams for their contributions to this work.
