How Canada got addicted to fentanyl

Manufactured in China, it easily crosses our porous borders, triggering a heroin-like bliss in users – and, all too often, death
The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Friday, April 8, 2016

fentanyl-pillsThe supply chain for illicit fentanyl begins in China, but the problems Canada is experiencing start right here at home: No other country in the world consumes more prescription opioids on a per-capita basis, according to a recent United Nations report. The widespread use of prescription opioids is behind the rise of a new class of drug addicts, many of whom are turning to the black market to feed their habit. In British Columbia and Alberta, the two hardest-hit provinces, fatal overdoses linked to fentanyl soared from 42 in 2012 to 418 in 2015. (See also: As the opioid crisis shows, politics shouldn’t drive public health)