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Opioids: A Public Health Crisis

In 2019, there were nearly 4,000 opioid-related deaths across Canada. In this special web series, The Walrus delves into the stories behind these statistics. Read the features, watch the explainer video, follow the timeline of opioid use

jigsaw pieces on a beige background
Opioids: A Public Health Crisis

Saying No to Drugs Isn’t an Answer to Addiction

August 29, 2018November 12, 2019 - by Carlyn Zwarenstein

Why one Ottawa doctor believes harm reduction is the most effective treatment for drug use

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animation of white dots
Opioids: A Public Health Crisis

Opioids: A Public Health Crisis

August 23, 2018March 9, 2021 - by The Walrus Staff

Last year, there were nearly 4,000 opioid-related deaths across Canada. In this special web series, The Walrus delves into the stories behind these statistics. Read the features, watch the explainer video, follow the timeline of opioid use

Read More
Illustration of a lightbulb against a black background. Instead of a filament, the bulb has a syringe inside.
Cover Story / Opioids: A Public Health Crisis / September 2018

My Life and Death on Opioids

August 23, 2018April 6, 2021 - by Chris Willie

In November 2017, The Walrus started working with Chris Willie on a memoir about his fentanyl addiction. While writing the article, Willie died from an overdose. This version of his story is published with his family’s approval

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Highway on a black background
Opioids: A Public Health Crisis

Rural Canada Faces Its Own Opioid Crisis

August 23, 2018December 13, 2019 - by Sharon J. Riley

In remote Alberta, a person can go for days without seeing much of anyone. So what happens if you’re overdosing?

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Series of picture frames
Opioids: A Public Health Crisis

How Do We Protect Our Kids from the Opioid Crisis?

August 23, 2018November 12, 2019 - by Vesna Plazacic

Why some parents want the power to involuntarily admit their children to treatment programs

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prescription scratched off of paper
Opioids: A Public Health Crisis

The Other Side of Fentanyl

August 23, 2018November 12, 2019 - by Teva Harrison

I have terminal cancer, and without the powerful painkiller, I live in agony

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animation of items related to opioids
Opioids: A Public Health Crisis

What’s Inside a Naloxone Kit?

August 23, 2018November 12, 2019 - by The Walrus Staff

How the life-saving medication works

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hands holding picket signs
Opioids: A Public Health Crisis

Four Unlikely Activists

August 23, 2018November 12, 2019 - by Jennifer Johnston

These women lost children and siblings. How grief pushed them to act

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cropped outline of Canada
Opioids: A Public Health Crisis

2017 Was Canada’s Worst Year yet for Overdose Deaths

August 23, 2018November 12, 2019 - by The Walrus Staff

A by-the-numbers look at the country’s skyrocketing opioid-overdose rates

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