Bootleg fentanyl a worry for health unit

Officials with an area health unit have joined provincial health and law enforcement agencies to stop illegal fentanyl from spreading in Ontario.

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit is calling for action to prevent a potential flooding of a bootleg fentanyl in the province.

They want local service providers and other agencies to be aware of the problem, so that they can better respond to it.

They also want the Ontario government to show leadership and work with groups to take immediate steps to respond to the problem, in order to save lives, reduce injury and improve safety, stated a release from the health unit, which covers the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County and Haliburton County.

A surge of bootleg fentanyl was recently seen in B.C, Alberta and American states bordering Ontario.

It’s resulted in a rise in overdoses and deaths.

In B.C., it’s amounted to recordbreaking overdose deaths and a public health overdose emergency was declared.

It’s predicted that Ontario won’t be immune to the same illegal fentanyl problem, the release stated.

Fentanyl is a powerful painkiller prescribed doctors. It’s a highly addictive opioid, more toxic than morphine.

And it’s increasingly ending up on the street as an illicit drug.

In Ontario, bootleg fentanyl has been found in street drugs like heroine, cocaine, ecstasy and crystal meth.

It’s also been discovered and in counterfeit pills, developed to resemble prescription opioids, such as Percocet and OxyContin.

Bootleg fentanyls can’t be detected by sight, smell or taste and people using illegal substances are at risk.

There are also health and safety implication for first responders, hospital staff and the like, because of the potential for exposure through skin contact or inhalation.

Most people aren’t aware that their drugs have been contaminated by fentanyl, which makes for a higher risk of opioid overdose.

Naloxone is the emergency medicine used to reverse the effect of an opioid overdose. Anyone using opioids is encouraged to get a kit, the release stated.

Locally, people at risk of overdose can get a free naloxone kit and training by calling PARN at 1-800361-2895.

The life-saving medicine is also available at many pharmacies in Ontario.