The OPP has saved 210 lives by administering naloxone since front line officers were equipped in September 2017.
The opioid crisis continues to affect people from communities across Ontario, which is evident from the continued increase in opioid-related overdoses as well as the number of occurrences where officers have had to administer naloxone to save a life.
Key statistical information on opioid-related overdoses and naloxone administration from September 2017 to February 2021 includes:
- The majority, 68%, of naloxone recipients were male and 32% were female.
- The average age of naloxone recipients was 34.8 for females and 35.5 for males.
- Most incidences occurred inside a residence.
- The majority of opioid-related overdoses occurred in OPP’s central and west regions.
- There was a 38% increase in overdose occurrences attended by the OPP from 2019 to 2020.
The OPP continues to provide victims with referrals to community specific resources and advising the public about harmful substances.
See www.opp.ca/opioids for more information. Additional details, as well as an officer’s experience with administering naloxone, can be found at www.opp.ca/news.
The OPP has created a framework to support those individuals suffering from substance use disorder, while holding drug traffickers who cause these overdoses accountable.
Since 2016, the OPP has investigated 23 occurrences where charges have been laid for Manslaughter and/or Criminal Negligence Causing Death in relation to fatal overdoses.
