Dalhousie researchers find rise of opioid-related overdoses post-pandemic

CITYnews halifax /By Natasha O’Neill

Rates of fatal opioid overdoses in Nova Scotia saw a decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, but new research from Dalhousie University shows they rose again shortly after.

Researchers studied trends in the province from 2009 to 2023 and focused on differences between pharmaceutical and illicit opioid-related deaths. Pharmaceutical relates to drugs prescribed for pain relief, and deaths can be from misuse, dependence or accidental overdose, it notes. The latter refers to unregulated drugs like fentanyl, which is often mixed with other substances.

Using population-based data and annual opioid death rates, categorized by health zone and type of drug, researchers found that opioid deaths decreased from 2019 to 2021.

Then fatal incidents rose “largely reflecting a rise in illicit opioid deaths,” it reads.

In the last several years, experts have seen an uptick in deaths due to the illegal drug supply becoming more contaminated with potent opioids.

Related:

• Halifax man charged in international drug trafficking investigation
• Naloxone: What to know about the opioid overdose-reversing drug, free across Canada
• Yukon First Nation declares state of emergency over opioids ‘terrorizing’ community

“The increased potency of the illegal drug supply caused overdose-related deaths to suddenly increase around 2016, and they’ve been high ever since,” the government of Canada website reads.

Dalhousie’s study does note that Nova Scotia records more pharmaceutical-related deaths than other provinces. However, data from Statistics Canada also show deaths in the province from opioid toxicity are rising, as the university’s report notes.

From January to March, Nova Scotia recorded 15 deaths related to opioids, just two shy of the first quarter in 2024.

Dr. Cindy Feng, an associate professor, and Dr. Mark Asbridge, a professor, in Dalhousie’s Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, co-authored the report, which suggests illicit drugs are a contributing factor in deaths in Nova Scotia.

The study was published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.

Study at a glance across Nova Scotia

• Central Zone: rising illicit opioid deaths post-pandemic
• Eastern Zone: previously high pharmaceutical opioid deaths declined in 2020-2021 and then rose slightly
• Northern Zone: steep rise in illicit opioid deaths
• Western Zone: consistently lowest rates

Data from StatCan shows Nova Scotia had the most opioid-related deaths in the first quarter of 2025 in Atlantic Canada.