Previously injured workers in sectors including construction, mining and forestry are more likely to end up in the emergency room or to be hospitalized due to opioid-related harm than workers in other sectors in Ontario.
In Canada, between January 2016 and September 2022, more than 34,000 people died from opioid use.
“Males of working age, particularly those between the ages of 30 and 49, have been disproportionately affected,” Dr. Nancy Carnide, an associate scientist at the Institute for Work and Health, said. “This has led to interest in understanding why we are seeing these patterns, including interest in the role of occupation.”
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Pain from injuries treated with opioids opening the door to dependence, coupled with depression from loss of work setting it in? Given the dire state of disability benefits this wouldn’t be a susprising pathway.
And this would surprise anyone . . . why, exactly? Opioids are primarily painkillers. Like it or not, they’re very good at that job. So: injured worker ends up in hospital, is prescribed opioids because they’re the most readily available thing that will actually help, and either has an addictive response or is cut off while they’re still in pain. Or they don’t want to go to the hospital at all, but it still hurts, and the Tylenol they were told to take won’t help because Tylenol is mostly useless for many types of pain. So they turn to illegal sources, meaning that they’re taking stuff whose content and dosage isn’t regulated. My cat could figure out why that results in opioid overdoses.
