Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

Fentanyl Continues To Claim B.C. Lives Despite Education: Police

The Canadian Press, 08 Dec, 2015 11:18 AM
    Vancouver police say too many people are dying from fentanyl-laced drugs, despite ongoing education and awareness campaigns.
     
    Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used to treat pain, and Health Canada says its abuse or misuse, even in small amounts, can cause death.
     
    The BC Coroners Service says fentanyl killed about 90 people in British Columbia between January and August this year.
     
    Sixteen of those deaths were recorded in Vancouver, while 10 died in Surrey, nine in Nanaimo and eight in Maple Ridge.
     
    Vancouver police Sgt. Randy Fincham says fentanyl is imported in powder form, pressed into pills and sold on the streets as counterfeit OxyContin, but it can also be found in heroin and cocaine.  
     
    He says the key to saving lives is continuing to educate users about the drug.
     
    "If they are going to choose to use an illicit drug or an unregulated drug, that they have some safety measures in place," says Fincham. 
     
    "That if there is an overdose or somebody does have an adverse reaction, that they are able to get help right away, have somebody phone 911."
     
    Police in Delta, B.C, issued a warning over the weekend after two people used cocaine and inadvertently overdosed on fentanyl. 

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Crown's Non-Disclosure Of Vital Documents In Ivan Henry Trial 'Breathtaking': Lawyer

    Crown's Non-Disclosure Of Vital Documents In Ivan Henry Trial 'Breathtaking': Lawyer
    VANCOUVER — The lawyer of a man wrongfully imprisoned for 27 years says her client's 1983 sexual-assault trial is Canada's most egregious example of the Crown withholding evidence.

    Crown's Non-Disclosure Of Vital Documents In Ivan Henry Trial 'Breathtaking': Lawyer

    Parliament's Opening Debate Sees Sparks Fly Between Liberals, Conservatives

    OTTAWA — The promised new era of civility in Parliament is sounding a lot like a rehash of the federal election campaign.

    Parliament's Opening Debate Sees Sparks Fly Between Liberals, Conservatives

    Ontario Passes Patch-For-Patch Law To Combat Abuse Of Powerful Opiate Fentanyl

    Ontario Passes Patch-For-Patch Law To Combat Abuse Of Powerful Opiate Fentanyl
    TORONTO — The Ontario legislature has passed a private member's bill aimed at combating abuse of the pain killer fentanyl, which is blamed for at least 655 deaths in Canada in the past six years.

    Ontario Passes Patch-For-Patch Law To Combat Abuse Of Powerful Opiate Fentanyl

    Calgary Faces Both Uncertainty And Opportunity In 2016 After Oil Price Plunge

    Calgary Faces Both Uncertainty And Opportunity In 2016 After Oil Price Plunge
    Home prices are down, unemployment is up, food bank usage is climbing, and no one knows when things might turn around with oil below US$40 a barrel on Monday from highs of well over US$100 less than two years ago.

    Calgary Faces Both Uncertainty And Opportunity In 2016 After Oil Price Plunge

    Employers To Be Banned From Taking Employees' Tips In Ontario

    Employers To Be Banned From Taking Employees' Tips In Ontario
    TORONTO — The Ontario legislature is expected to pass a bill this afternoon that will make it illegal for employers to take a share of servers' tips.

    Employers To Be Banned From Taking Employees' Tips In Ontario

    Liberals To Proceed With Tax Cut For Middle Earners, Higher Rate For Richest

    Liberals To Proceed With Tax Cut For Middle Earners, Higher Rate For Richest
    The government will introduce a motion today in Parliament that will slash the income-tax rate on Canadians earning between $44,700 and $89,401 per year.

    Liberals To Proceed With Tax Cut For Middle Earners, Higher Rate For Richest