Despite an overall decline in prescribed opioid use in Canada over the past decade, a recent study found that people in poorer areas receive three times the prescriptions for opioids than those in wealthier areas.
Researchers from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo analyzed prescription records in seven provinces’ public drug plans from 2010 to 2018, the most recent data available. British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba shared comprehensive data across all age groups, and Alberta, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island provided data for individuals aged 65 and older. Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia do not submit data to the federal entity that collects these records. The research team cross-referenced prescription patterns with census data on household income and sex to support their analysis.
Canada remains the world’s second-highest consumer of opioids. In 2024 alone, opioid-related harms averaged 67 emergency room visits, 99 emergency responses, 15 hospitalizations and 20 deaths per day, according to a report from the Government of Canada.
This research study was in collaboration Dr. Susan Elliott, professor in Waterloo's Faculty of Environment, Dr. Martin Cooke, Waterloo's School of Public Health Sciences in the Faculty of Health, Dr. Feng Chang, Waterloo's School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Arts and Moad Alsefaou, former research assistant at the School of Pharmacy.