Deadly opioid carfentanil found in drugs in Nanaimo
The extremely potent and deadly drug carfentanil is now on Vancouver Island, according to police and health authorities.
Nanaimo RCMP seized an unknown white powder during a recent raid. Health Canada confirmed Wednesday that it was the highly toxic opioid carfentanil.
“An amount as small as grain of sand could be fatal,” Const. Gary O’Brien said in a statement.
The drug is 100 times stronger than fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid linked to more than half of the overdose deaths in B.C. last year. At least 914 people died from overdoses in B.C. in 2016, including 155 on Vancouver Island. In 2015, there were 510 overdose deaths in B.C. and 60 on Vancouver Island.
This is the first time carfentanil has been found on the Island.
Health officials confirmed last week that the dangerous substance had been detected in street drugs in Metro Vancouver.
Island Health is warning drug users to be extremely cautious and observe harm-reduction measures if they plan to use any drugs that could contain carfentanil.
“Carfentanil is an extremely toxic and lethal drug and there is currently no way for people to know whether it is contained in illegal drugs,” said medical health officer Charmaine Enns.
“Now that we know carfentanil is on Vancouver Island, I can’t emphasize enough the importance for anyone who uses illegal drugs to ensure they are reducing risk of overdose by following harm-reduction measures.”
These include never using alone, testing drugs in small amounts, staggering drug use so that someone is able to get help if there is trouble, avoiding using more than one drug at a time, carrying the opioid overdose antidote naloxone and having help nearby.
There are overdose-prevention sites in Victoria and Nanaimo, including public ones at Our Place Society on Pandora Avenue, AIDS Vancouver Island on Johnson Street and at Cool Aid Society’s Rock Bay Landing Shelter.
Nanaimo has a site on Wesley Street in a building operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association. Overdose-prevention sites offer harm-reduction supplies and a place for people to use drugs with help nearby.