12 people died in Grande Prairie from opioid-related deaths in the first three months of 2021, all of which reported are from non-pharmaceutical opioids.
Based on data released from the Alberta Government, three of the deaths were reported in January, four in February, and five in March.
Grande Prairie is second only to Lethbridge when it comes to opioid drug poisoning deaths per 100,000, at 63.9. Lethbridge remains the highest average in a major urban centre in the province, at 64.5 per 100,000.
Fentanyl and its related drugs, as well as heroin, are considered to be non-pharmaceutical opioids, while prescribed opioids such as codeine, hydromorphone, and methadone are considered to be pharmaceutical opioids.
33 people died of accidental opioid poisoning in Grande Prairie in 2020, the highest recorded number in the city since opioid-related data collection began in 2016.
