WINNIPEG — Manitoba RCMP officers are now carrying naloxone kits to deal with the increase in opioid drug use.
The nasal spray is an antidote used to help someone who has come into contact with the powerful drug fentanyl.
First responders say the prevalence of fentanyl is putting more drug users at risk of overdose, as well as threatening the safety of others who inadvertently come into contact with it.
Chief Supt. Mark Fisher says carrying the antidote was an important safety measure, even though Manitoba RCMP have not yet responded to any medical emergencies involving the opioid.
In the past month, there have been at least seven suspected overdoses in Winnipeg linked to fentanyl — a drug used as a painkiller for terminally ill cancer patients and 100 times more powerful than heroin.
Just over 1,000 antidote kits have been distributed so far to RCMP officers in the province.
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