Close X
Friday, November 8, 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

    Rape Group Won't Be Heard At Ivan Henry's Compensation Hearing

    A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has rejected an attempt by Vancouver Rape Relief to argue that a man acquitted of sexual assault after nearly three decades behind bars is actually guilty.

    Rape Group Won't Be Heard At Ivan Henry's Compensation Hearing

    2-Year-Old Girl Found Safe After Missing For Hours Near Powell River, B.C.

    2-Year-Old Girl Found Safe After Missing For Hours Near Powell River, B.C.
    Const. Tim Kenning with the Powell River RCMP says police believed the little girl walked away from her home.

    2-Year-Old Girl Found Safe After Missing For Hours Near Powell River, B.C.

    Waterloo, Ont. Startup Sober Steering Aims To 'Sniff' Out Drunk Driving

    Waterloo, Ont. Startup Sober Steering Aims To 'Sniff' Out Drunk Driving
    WATERLOO, Ont. — Inside a few Canadian school buses a new sensor technology is helping keep drunk drivers off the roads.

    Waterloo, Ont. Startup Sober Steering Aims To 'Sniff' Out Drunk Driving

    Not As Many Deep Freezes This Winter, Says The Weather Network

    Not As Many Deep Freezes This Winter, Says The Weather Network
     Canadians with vivid memories of the teeth-rattling cold last winter can look forward to a reprieve this season.

    Not As Many Deep Freezes This Winter, Says The Weather Network

    Fraud Prompts B.C. Securities Commission To Levy $1-Million Fine On Chilliwack Real Estate Developer

    Fraud Prompts B.C. Securities Commission To Levy $1-Million Fine On Chilliwack Real Estate Developer
    A B.C. Securities Commission panel has ordered that Rodney Wharram pay a $500,000 fine and another $517,500 to cover the amount it says he obtained by his fraudulent misconduct.

    Fraud Prompts B.C. Securities Commission To Levy $1-Million Fine On Chilliwack Real Estate Developer

    Toronto Police Seize $12 Million In Counterfeit Goods Including Blue Jays Gear

    Toronto Police Seize $12 Million In Counterfeit Goods Including Blue Jays Gear
    Toronto police say they have seized more than $12 million in counterfeit goods including Blue Jays jerseys, headphones and purses as part of an ongoing operation.

    Toronto Police Seize $12 Million In Counterfeit Goods Including Blue Jays Gear