Drug overdose of kids in government care a ‘crisis’ says Alberta youth advocate

Drug poisonings among children and youth under government care or receiving government supports is one of the most frequent causes of death in recent investigations undertaken by Alberta’s Office of the Child and Youth Advocate, which concluded some of the deceased began using illicit substances as young as 12.Child and Youth Advocate Terri Pelton released the findings of 48 investigative reviews Tuesday, spanning from April, 2023, to March 31, 2024, and involving young people in the province who were receiving child intervention services at the time of or within two years of their death and one youth who was seriously injured. In 10 of the cases, the person died from toxic drugs.