Calls for pre-use drug testing as Canada fentanyl deaths crisis worsens

by Rebecca Giglio

As the highly potent opioid fentanyl continues to drive accidental overdose deaths in Canada, it seems increasingly important for people to be able to test the contents of their drugs – however, there are concerns this could have unintended consequences.

There is an ongoing crisis of fentanyl deaths across Canada. In the province of Alberta, the number of fatal fentanyl overdoses reached 343 deaths in 2016, an increase from 257 deaths in 2015. The drug contributed to 922 deaths in neighbouring British Columbia in 2016, leading to the province's health minister calling on the national government to "declare a federal public health emergency".

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