More than 75 per cent of fatal drug overdoses in Montreal occurred at home, public health finds

Montreal's public health department released its latest numbers, which showed that 175 people died of suspected drug overdoses in the last year.

Montreal public health authorities say 175 deaths related to suspected drug overdoses occurred in the city over the past year and the majority of those fatalities took place at home.

The latest data was released Thursday to coincide with International Overdose Awareness Day, a global campaign designed to end overdoses.

The department, which compiled statistics from August 2022 to July 2023, notes that 77 per cent ⁠— or more than three out of four — of the deaths occurred at home.

Of the 175 Montrealers who died, nine per cent were homeless. Public health authorities also noted that overdosing doesn’t discriminate when it comes to age, but those between the ages of 40 and 59 were particularly affected.

Suspected drug-related fatalities also disproportionately affect men in the city, with 138 who died in the last year. Meanwhile, 38 women died in the same time period.

Montreal’s public health department says there were also “many lives” saved by community organizations, paramedics, first responders and citizens. This includes 708 emergency interventions at supervised consumption sites, where people can bring their own drugs to use in the presence of trained staff.

Paramedics also carried out 547 interventions across the city using naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses.

Public health authorities said “contamination and instability of drugs sold on the illicit market, stigma and criminalization are among the many contributing factors that need to be addressed.”