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Opioid experts recommend Alberta expand programs

They say the measure will reduce the number ofpeople dying from drug overdoses
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EDMONTON — Opioid experts are recommending Alberta expand programs to reduce the growing number of people who are dying from drug overdoses.

The Opioid Emergency Response Commission says the government should expand the public distribution of naloxone kits, a medication that can quickly reverse the effects of an overdose from opioids such as fentanyl, heroin, methadone and morphine.

As of mid-August, Alberta reported 315 fentanyl-related overdose deaths, compared to 368 for all of 2016.

The province says there were 586 suspected opioid-related deaths in the province last year.

The commission also recommends that Alberta do more to help Indigenous communities, which it says are being disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis.

The government says it accepts all of the commission’s recommendations.