Harm reduction & Safe supply

Seventy-four people are suspected to have died after consuming drugs in the first 60 days of 2024, according to the latest update from the Saskatchewan Coroners Service.

Almost all the deaths, 69, reported in January and February are listed as suspected overdoses so the numbers could change once the cases are concluded. Five are confirmed.

The high death toll is grim but not surprising, said Kayla DeMong, the executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR) in Saskatoon. She said the province's approach to drug use isn't helping prevent the numbers from rising.

Opvee, an opioid-overdose antidote manufactured by Indivior that was approved in 2023, has in recent weeks been slowly rolling out to law enforcement departments. Unlike Narcan or other overdose antidotes currently on the market, Opvee isn’t a naloxone product. It’s nalmefene, a different opioid antagonist that lasts longer. According to cops, nalmefene works better on fentanyl— despite the fact that it’s never been tested in real-world settings, and naloxone still working just fine.