Article content
Ninety Alberta businesses have formed a coalition in support of harm reduction to counter the government’s assertion that businesses oppose supervised drug-use sites in their communities.
Each + Every: Businesses for Harm Reduction, a grassroots organization that brings together companies to accelerate drug policy reform, penned an open letter to the UCP government calling on it to “take immediate and meaningful action” to address the escalating drug toxicity crisis.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or Alberta businesses call on UCP to address spiking overdose deaths Back to video
“Alberta’s provincial government did not create the toxic drug crisis that claimed more Albertan lives in 2020 than COVID-19. Responsibility for the root of the crisis lies primarily at the feet of our federal government for perpetuating a century of racially oppressive drug policy fuelled by moral panic,” reads the open letter
Wellness event recognizes students, parents, staff resiliency
sprucegroveexaminer.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sprucegroveexaminer.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Article content
A record number of Albertans under 25 died from accidental opioid poisoning last year, and the province is on track to surpass that peak, says a report from the child and youth advocate.
The report, released by child and youth advocate Del Graff on Wednesday morning, says 95 young people under 25 died last year as a result of accidental opioid poisoning, exceeding the previous peak of 85 deaths in 2017. Twenty-two deaths were reported in the first two months of this year, and if that pace continues the province will surpass the 2020 numbers, the report says.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Posted: Jun 16, 2021 5:34 PM MT | Last Updated: June 16
Del Graff is Alberta s child and youth advocate.(Submitted by Del Graff)
Alberta s child and youth advocate is warning that 2021 is shaping up to be the worst on record for deaths of young people from opioid overdoses.
Last year, 95 Albertans under the age of 25 died due to opioid poisoning. Alberta recorded 29 deaths in the first three months of 2021.
In a new report released Wednesday, Del Graff followed up on his 2018 report about youth and opioid use. Although some progress has been made on five recommendations, Graff found the situation has become much worse.