Opioid Crisis Among Young People Escalates, Posing Decades-Long Health Crisis

Strategic Insights -

Young people are increasingly turning to prescription opioids, with 21.8% of Ontario students reporting use in 2023, up from 12.7% in 2021. Healthcare professionals are sounding the alarm, urging provinces to bolster addiction treatment services and provide evidence-based care for youth with opioid use disorder. The crisis is being fueled by inadequate existing services, stigma around opioid addiction, and a lack of investment in youth addiction programs. Physicians Shannon Charlebois and Shawn Kelly warn that inaction will lead to preventable deaths for decades to come.

Key Takeaways:

  • 21.8% of Ontario students reported using prescription opioids in 2023, up from 12.7% in 2021.
  • Students in Grades 7 to 9 were more likely to report use than those in Grades 10 to 12.
  • Unregulated drugs were the leading cause of death among 15- to 18-year-olds in British Columbia in 2021.
  • 29 children under 18 died from drug poisonings in the province in 2021.
  • Youth deaths have been increasing in British Columbia since 2016.
  • Opioid agonist therapies, such as suboxone and methadone, are the first line of treatment for youth with OUD.
  • Many doctors in Canada are uncomfortable or unwilling to prescribe these treatments due to stigma or lack of training.
  • Youth substance use programs are scarce, fragmented, and often privately funded.
  • Factors such as low socio-economic status, limited supports in rural and remote areas, and racism impact treatment.
  • Parents should have naloxone on hand and teach their children how to use it.
  • Adults should foster a culture where young people feel safe in asking for help.

Statistics:

  • 21.8% of Ontario students reported using prescription opioids in 2023.
  • 12.7% of Ontario students reported using prescription opioids in 2021.
  • 29 children under 18 died from drug poisonings in British Columbia in 2021.
  • Youth deaths have been increasing in British Columbia since 2016.
  • The dispensing of opioids to new patients declined by eight per cent in 2022 from 2018.

Sources:

  • Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) editorial by Shannon Charlebois and Shawn Kelly.
  • Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey.
  • British Columbia provincial data.
  • Report on youth deaths in British Columbia.
  • Interview with Dr. Shawn Kelly.
  • Interview with Dr. Tara Gomes.