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Vancouver Police Say Rash of Overdoses Linked to Fentanyl, not Heroin

The Canadian Press , 16 Oct, 2014 10:55 AM

VANCOUVER - Police in Vancouver say a potent and potentially lethal drug called fentanyl, not heroin, is behind a rash of overdoses on the city's Downtown Eastside.

Vancouver Coastal Health announced Tuesday that 31 people overdosed during the previous two days at Insite, the city's safe-injection site.

Samples of the drugs responsible for the overdoses were sent to Health Canada and police say they tested positive for fentanyl.

Police are asking drug user to be extremely cautious and not consume drugs alone.

They say drug users should use Insite, which is staffed by medical personnel who can help in the event of an overdose.

Insite is the city's first legal safe injection site and has been credited by Vancouver's chief medical health officer Dr. Patricia Daly with saving lives and reducing the risk of infection from disease like HIV and hepatitis C.

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