Year-over-year opioid overdose deaths in Alberta drop by 55%, latest numbers show

The number of opioid-related overdose deaths in Alberta continues to trend down, dropping to a new low not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data published by the province for the month of May, the most recent month for which Alberta has published new numbers, shows 72 people died of an opioid-related overdose.

It marks a 55 per cent decrease from what it was for May of last year and is also the lowest of any month so far in 2024. 

A total of 431 opioid-related overdose deaths were reported between January and May of this year, down from the same timeframe last year when 788 died of the same cause.

"This is sort of a pinnacle moment for myself as an individual," said Monty Ghosh, an addiction physician and assistant professor at the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta.

"There's still a lot of work that needs to be done, but but we are heading in the right direction."

According to Ghosh, there are a multitude of reasons that have contributed to the decline, including a reduction in overdose deaths related to carfentanil — a drug responsible for 23 per cent of overdose deaths in 2023.

There has also been an uptick in people using opiate agonist treatment, a method of treatment that helps reduce drug-related harms while supporting long-term recovery.

"We are cautiously optimistic about this trend and will continue addressing addiction with a comprehensive approach," Dan Williams, Alberta's minister of mental health and addiction, said in a statement.

"Together, we have an opportunity to make meaningful and lasting changes to improve the wellness of Albertans."

2023 deadliest year

The province marked its deadliest year on record for opioid deaths in 2023 when 1,870 people lost their lives to the addictive drugs between January and December, according to the Alberta's substance use surveillance data. 

The province said it has since turned its focus to recovery, mental health and addiction services, budgeting $1.13 billion for that work in 2024. It opened three recovery communities with more on the way. 

On Friday, it announced that Recovery Alberta, a new agency dedicated to mental health and addictions, will launch in September.

"To have these facilities is hugely important," Ghosh said.

"Will that impact the overall mortality that we're seeing? It's hard to say."

NDP slams move away from integrated model

In a statement, Luanne Metz, Alberta NDP critic for health, criticized the move, saying the province is regressing in its attempt to deal with addictions issues.

"I am saddened that in Alberta the UCP government has chosen to go back in time. The UCP are moving us away from an integrated health model by treating mental health as a separate condition," she said.

"People do not come with either mental health or physical health issues. They are completely interrelated. This will harm the ability of Albertans to get the health care they need."

Based on some of the numbers from the latest data issued, Ghosh said it wouldn't be surprising to see an increase in opioid overdose related deaths over the next few months.

"We don't have data for June, July and August as of yet. I suspect it will be higher based on the EMS callout [numbers] that we've seen," he said.

"But nowhere near as where they were last summer, in which we saw a huge peak and spike in overdoses."