Canada is now the second-largest per capita consumer of opioids in the world, and Canada’s health minister will require stronger warning labels to try to reduce abuse of the painkillers. People have been known to visit several doctors in order to get multiple prescriptions either for themselves or to sell.
‘Too many…dying’
“Too many people are abusing prescription drugs,” Health Minister Rona Ambrose told the annual conference of the Canadian Medical Association on Monday. “Too many people are suffering and dying as a result.”
The Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey found that 410,000 people said they had abused prescription drugs like opioid pain relievers, stimulants, tranquilizers and sedatives.
“Quite frankly, these numbers are frightening, unacceptable and the reason why our government is taking action,” Ambrose said.
New labels will emphasize risks and safety concerns about opioids and will remove the reference to “moderate” pain, saying instead the drugs should be exclusively used for severe pain.
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