Prescription pills containing oxycodone and acetaminophen are shown in Toronto, Nov. 5, 2017. The overall number of prescriptions for opioids has increased over the last five years, but doctors have been giving patients fewer doses at one time, a report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information has found.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy AppleMark
Prescription pills containing oxycodone and acetaminophen are shown in Toronto, Nov. 5, 2017. The overall number of prescriptions for opioids has increased over the last five years, but doctors have been giving patients fewer doses at one time, a report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information has found.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy AppleMark
Health Care
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Accidental drug poisonings claim 12 lives over seven-month period

Kass Patterson
By Kass Patterson

Accidental drug poisoning claimed 12 lives in Grande Prairie between May and November 2025.

According to the Alberta Substance Use Surveillance System, July and October each had three accidental drug poisoning deaths, the highest monthly totals during that period. August recorded two deaths, while May, June, September and November each had one.

Non-pharmaceutical opioids were linked to most of the deaths, while one fatality in August involved pharmaceutical opioids.

Provincial data shows 22 opioid overdoses in the Grande Prairie area between January and November last year.

Kass Patterson
Kass Patterson
Born and raised in Calgary, Kass, from a young age, developed a love for learning people's stories and being able to share them with the community (or her family, or whoever would listen). In addition to working in communities like Okotoks and Calgary, Kass has also spent her summers travelling with the World Professional Chuckwagon Association since 2019, to help provide a peek behind the barn door into the world of chuckwagon racing. Outside of work and anything horse related, Kass is a reader and an avid country music fan, and most likely can be found with the biggest cup of coffee possible.

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