Dangerous new drug found in Saskatoon
A new and potentially lethal street drug has been analyzed and “presents an even greater risk to public safety,” according to Saskatoon police. On March 25, a woman was found in possession of 2.7 grams of an unknown substance while in a Saskatoon police detention area. The substance was later determined to contain met hoxy ace tylf en tanyl,a swell as heroin, fentanyl and caffeine, Saskatoon police said in a news release.
This is the first time the drug has been found in Saskatoon. Police say it presents an even greater risk to public safety than drugs commonly found in the market.
Earlier this month, police said an analysis of other drugs seized were found to contain the “extremely dangerous hallucinogen” Di men thy lt ry pt a mine( D MT ), which is laced with fentanyl.
Both met hoxy ace tylfent any land fentanyl are deadly opioids.
“You may think you know what you are taking, but unless it is prescribed by a doctor or dispensed by a pharmacist, it could contain a variety of potentially deadly substances,” said Insp. Dale Solie, who heads the Saskatoon police integrated drug enforcement street team, in a statement.
Saskatchewan Health Authority’s co-director of Mental Health and Addictions Services Tracy Muggli said in a statement that the SHA can’t “stress enough the dangers of what is going on in the community with the unknown substances.”
In April, the province started providing access to take-home Naloxone kits, which can be used to combat the effects of an opioid overdose.
“It can be used in those situations where an overdose has occurred and you aren’t sure about the substance that has been used. Naloxone will not cause harm, if in the end, the substances were not laced with an opioid. But if there was a presence of an opioid, naloxone could make the difference,” Muggli said.
The kits are available in many communities. The Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals has also made administrative bylaw changes that will allow the kits to become more widely available.