Following substantial increases in prescription opioid misuse in Canada and elsewhere beginning in the 1980s, 10 practitioner groups have acted to reduce unnecessary prescribing of these drugs. For example, Canadian guidelines for chronic (non-cancer) pain have de-emphasized opioids. And organizations such as BC’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, among others, have issued updated practice standards on safe opioid prescribing.

Data suggest that prescribing practices are changing. The proportion of Canadians living in BC, Ontario and Saskatchewan being prescribed opioids fell from 14.3% to 12.3% between 2013 and 2018. For children under age 15, these prescriptions fell from 2.0% to 1.0% in the same time period, while for teens and young adults ages 15 to 24, the percentages dropped from 8.7% to 7.1%.

Initiatives to reduce the supply of unused opioid medications can also help. For example, a US project encouraged people to drop off unused medications to prevent them from being misused. Despite a budget of less than $1,000 and a time frame of only four hours, this project resulted in people turning in 1,798 opioid dosing units — showing what communities can do.

But much more needs to be done, and the needs have never been greater. In particular, it is essential to consider prevention programs for young people — to intervene effectively before opioid misuse starts. These programs are typically informed by the research on risks and can complement broader public health efforts to address problematic opioid use.

For more information, see Vol. 18, No. 2 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.