From January to September 2023, there were 5,975 deaths significantly related to opioids in Canada, and 4,646 hospitalizations due to opioid-related poisoning. This means that an average of 22 people died from opioid abuse every day during the above period.

Data from some provinces show that the mode of drug use is changing from injection to inhalation. Canada's chief public health officer Theresa Tam and New Brunswick's acting chief medical officer of health Léger described the opioid abuse issue as "an urgent public health concern"