Opioid death rates tripled for Ontario teens, young adults since 2014, study shows

Opioid-related deaths among teens and young adults in Ontario tripled from 2014 to 2021, while drug treatment rates fell significantly, a new report shows.

According to research led by Unity Health Toronto’s Ontario Drug Policy Research Network, the number of opioid deaths among people aged 15 to 24 rose to 169 during the first year of the pandemic, up from 115 the previous year.

Only 37.1 percent of teens and young adults who had opioid use disorder and died from drugs had received treatment in the last year of the analysis, compared with 48.6 of adults ages 25 to 44, the researchers found.

They found that the number of opioid-related emergency room visits quadrupled during that time.

The Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario, Public Health Ontario, the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service and non-profit research institute ICES were also involved in the project which analyzed provincial healthcare and demographic data from 2014 to 2021 for the 15 to 24 year olds . year old age group.

Medication use for treatment decreased by 50%

During that time, 752 young people died, there were 711 hospitalizations and 5,401 visits to the emergency department.

The researchers also found that use of drugs to treat opioid use disorders dropped 50 percent over those seven years and in-person residential treatment dropped 73 percent.

“It’s a really stark comparison of the harm this demographic is experiencing and how they access treatment and whether the health care we’re providing them is really meeting their needs,” said Dr. Tara Gomes, a scientist. at Unity Health Toronto, which runs the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network.

Fentanyl was found in 94 percent of those who died from opioids during the pandemic, up 10 percentage points after COVID-19 came to the county.

The researchers also found that only about half of the young people who died from opioids had an opioid use disorder, which differs from the general provincial picture. About two-thirds of all opioid-related deaths occur in those who suffer from the condition.

This suggests that young people have more barriers to accessing treatment, Gomes said. That could be due to doctors being reluctant to provide treatments such as methadone or buprenorphine to young people, she said.

Patients may also be reluctant to start a methadone regimen, for example, requiring daily trips to the pharmacy for a process that can take years, Gomes said.

“The flip side is that we may be seeing more and more harm as teens and young adults are more likely to use occasional drugs,” Gomes said.

“Our drug supply is incredibly unpredictable and potent, so if you’re on drugs only occasionally, and if you’re on them, if you’re exposed to a very high dose or a drug that contains multiple different substances, you’re really at high risk on an overdose.”

A new approach is needed, say authors

Gomes said young people are starting to experiment with drugs, a reality that is unlikely to change.

“The unregulated supply is as dangerous as it is, I think we should be concerned because we know younger people are going to have access to that supply,” she said.

About one in eight young people who died from opioids were homeless, the report found.

The authors concluded that a new approach is needed.

Younger fellow supporters could help, Gomes said, in addition to looking at treatments like Sublocade, the injectable form of buprenorphine that’s only needed once a month as opposed to a daily trip to the pharmacy.

She suggested increasing harm reduction and education options, especially the value of carrying naloxone, an antidote to opioid overdose, and not just taking drugs.

“We found that about two-thirds of the deaths that happened in this demographic happened in people’s own homes, and it was quite rare that people were actually administered naloxone,” Gomes said.

Ontario’s chief coroner called the deaths of teens and young adults from opioids “heartbreaking.”

“Families and friends have lost loved ones way too soon and the impact will be felt for decades to come,” said Dr. Dirk Huyer in a statement.

“This report underscores the importance of policies that recognize the need for accessible resources, harm reduction services and mental health care necessary to prevent further opioid-related deaths among teens and young people.”

The authors called for more options for harm reduction and addressing systemic issues that may underlie opioid use.

“Strategies that address upstream risk factors for substance-related harm are warranted, including ensuring access to stable housing, addressing food insecurity, and removing barriers to mental health treatment,” the authors wrote.