The Government of Alberta says drug overdoses deaths are down but still concerning. (Photo: Steveheap | Dreamstime.com)

By David Opinko

Province reports fewer overdose deaths in Lethbridge for Q1 2024

Jul 4, 2024 | 9:25 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – While it is a trend in the right direction, people continue to die every month in Lethbridge due to drug use.

Newly released numbers from the Government of Alberta show that five people succumbed to overdoses each in January and February, as well as four in March, making for a total of 14.

This marks a reduction from the past two years as the same period in 2023 saw 35 deaths and 37 in 2022.

It was a similar picture provincially as early 2024’s numbers are below the past two years but still well above the ten-year average. Across Alberta, 355 residents lost their lives from January to the end of March 2024, compared to the record-breaking peaks of 442 in 2023 and 461 in 2022.

Fentanyl was detected in the person’s body in 96 per cent of cases, while methamphetamine was present 66 per cent of the time and cocaine was 21 per cent.

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In Lethbridge, there has been a trend away from drug overdose deaths occurring in the person’s own home (23 per cent). They were most likely (31 per cent) to happen in somebody else’s house. An equal 15 per cent each of cases took place in public, hotels, or other facilities.

There has been a total of 73 EMS responses to opioid-related events in Lethbridge in the first five months of 2024, averaging over 14 per month.

Provincially, almost three-quarters (72.4 per cent) of fatal overdose victims were men. The most common age group was 35-39.

Use the following link to see the full report on the Alberta Substance Use Surveillance System.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now

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