By Camille Bains THE CANADIAN PRESS VANCOUVER- Researchers in British Columbia have published a study that suggests prescription opioids prevent overdose deaths among people with an addiction to potentially toxic street drugs. They found that those who were prescribed at least one day’s supply of opioids were 55 per cent less likely to die from overdose in the following week when compared with a similar group without a prescription. Those who had a four-day or longer prescription cut their risk of death by 89 per cent. The study focuses on prescribing guidance that British Columbia introduced in March 2020 for people who could fatally overdose during the pandemic as they sought a diminishing supply of illicit substances and risked COVID-19 transmission. British Columbia is Canada’s only jurisdiction to launch such…
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