Overview

• A population-based study of public drug plan records from 2010 to 2018 across seven provinces revealed persistent income-based prescription gaps
• Individuals in poorer communities received three times more opioid prescriptions than those in higher-income areas despite an overall national decline
• Provincial reporting varied, with British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba sharing all-age data while Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia provided none
• Women in lower socioeconomic regions faced the highest prescription rates overall and men with lower incomes outpaced their wealthier peers
• Canada’s daily 2024 opioid toll—67 emergency visits, 99 responses, 15 hospitalizations and 20 deaths—underscores the urgency of targeted interventions