Raising public awareness is one of the best ways to save lives and limit the spread of the deadly pharmaceutical drug fentanyl.
The issue has arisen in Powell River because former resident Kasimir Tyabji-Sandana, 27, of Calgary has been charged with importing the substance.
Fentanyl is not simply something that is killing junkies; it is a threat to anyone who uses recreational drugs.
To that end, a website has been created specifically to bring more attention to the dangers of the potent synthetic opiate painkiller. And because many people who use recreational drugs may also be unaware that they are actually taking fentanyl, information about what its effects are can help identify potential overdose situations before death occurs.
There have been too many deaths as a result of this drug which first started popping up in laced heroin but now has spread to include even marijuana.
The centre has said that the drug poses particular danger for those who may never have used narcotics before.
Coroners Service of British Columbia estimates that over the past three years there has been a drastic increase in overdose deaths in the province. As many as 50 deaths this year in BC are blamed on overdoses from fentanyl. That is about a 25 per cent increase over last year. In July there were four deaths including a 17-year-old Burnaby teen, a 31-year-old North Vancouver man and a young couple from North Vancouver who left behind their two-year-old son. Though these recent overdose deaths have been primarily focused in the Lower Mainland, this is an issue the affects communities throughout the province.
The potent painkiller is prescribed by doctors for patients with severe pain and is usually administered through a slow-release transdermal patch. But some recreational drug users have taken the patches apart and scraped them to collect a powdered form of the drug. It comes in many forms including liquid, powder or pill form. A more common occurrence, though, is to find the drug mixed in with other drugs like oxycodone, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Users are often unaware that they have even consumed the drug.
There is currently no reliable way to test for the presence of fentanyl, which has no taste or smell.
Health officials advise that if someone who has taken the drug appears to be drowsy or falls asleep, call 911.
