That’s not the only reason they overdose, they are far more complex than that, it depends on purity yes but also length of use, time between uses, age, overall health and so on. I think legalization will help but if you think that, because you give out free drugs they aren’t going to mix and match to get bigger high, then we are in for a surprise. My community has a program where legal opioids are prescribed by a NP and filled by the local pharmacy. All the drugs are safe and legal, my city has one of highest overdose rates in my province. Addicts regularly mix the legal opioids with illegal ones to reproduce the high they’re craving. They also like selling half their script to pay for their fentanyl addiction, it’s a great system. We are literally giving them drugs to kill themselves or the money to buy the drugs that do the same.

I honestly don’t see any easy path out of this other than focusing on people before they turn to opioids.