Alberta government welcomes fentanyl ingredient restrictions
'This government is focused on reducing the availability of fentanyl and other drugs in the province'
To combat fentanyl, which killed 153 Albertans in the first half of 2016, the federal government plans to make it harder to get the chemicals used to make the deadly opiate into the country.
Health Canada intends to add substances used to manufacture fentanyl to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Precursor Control Regulations, which would make it illegal to move the chemicals across the border without proper authorization.
Alberta's associate minister of health, Brandy Payne, said it's important that those steps are implemented "as quickly as possible."
"As Alberta continues to see more lives lost to fentanyl addiction, we must use all the necessary tools to support people struggling with addictions," she said, "including harm reduction, treatment, public awareness and law enforcement."
Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said the move by the federal government "reflects Alberta's advocacy for changes at the federal level."
As Alberta continues to see more lives lost to fentanyl addiction, we must use all the necessary tools to support people struggling with addictions.- Brandy Payne
"This government is focused on reducing the availability of fentanyl and other drugs in the province," Ganley said. "Alberta's police services know that precursor drugs are available in Alberta, as they have already discovered large quantities of these deadly chemicals here."
In early 2016, Alberta became the second province to provide naloxone kits without a prescription — naloxone blocks the effects of opioids and can help reverse an overdose.
As of the end of July, more than 2,910 kits had been dispensed in the province, and 313 were reported to have been used to reverse overdoses.
In 2015, 274 Albertans died from fentanyl overdoses, a sharp increase from 120 deaths in 2014, and 66 deaths the year before.
In the first six months of this year, Calgary reported 61 deaths, followed by Edmonton with 43. Grande Prairie and Red Deer each reported nine deaths, while Fort McMurray, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat each had five. Another 21 deaths were reported in other parts of the province.