It is not just in Canada. If you have money and/or good health insurance in the United States, you can get immediate treatment. However, there are many without health insurance that can't get treatment at all or have long waits for the few treatment facilities that exist for low income people.
There was a special on television a while ago about heroin addiction and the showcased two couples battling addiction. One young man, a father of a toddler, wanted to get sober. He called treatment centers daily for a long period of time trying to find one that would take him. He didn't have insurance. He finally found one that didn't offer detox, left after a short time, and overdosed and died.
The wife in the other couple was on maintenance suboxone but didn't have insurance and had to stop taking it because they couldn't afford it. She relapsed and disappeared leaving a small baby behind.
The recent healthcare proposal completely did away with funds for opioid addiction. I am glad that it didn't pass.
Vivitrol shots, which have been shown to be highly effective for those fighting opioid addition, cost over $1000 a month in the U.S. Those without health insurance can't possibly afford that.
I don't know which is worse. Canada's long waits but treatment for all or the U.S. model of treatment for the haves and no treatment for the have-nots.
~Kathy