Education, not handcuffs, key to solving crisis, police say

Launching an open discussion in the community is just the first step in combating a fentanyl health crisis — one that can’t be solved by handcuffs, police say.

“We understand very clearly — and frankly, I’m quite frustrated — that enforcement isn’t the answer,” Delta police Chief Neil Dubord said. “We can’t arrest our way out of this … we need to be able to engage other parts of the system.”

On Wednesday, the first of two forums meant to address fentanyl-related issues was hosted at South Delta Secondary School. Nearly 200 people—many of them parents and teens — attended the forum.

The second forum will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at North Delta Secondary School.

The forums were organized as a response to the fentanyl problem in B.C., and intended to educate the community about how the dangerous synthetic opiate has shown up in a variety of street drugs. While geared toward parents, the forum was also open to students.

Dubord said the forums cover what fentanyl is, and what resources are available in the community for those affected by drug use.

Those who presented at the forum and who answered questions from the audience included Delta Mayor Lois Jackson, Delta school superintendent Doug Sheppard and representatives of the Delta police.

“I’m really frustrated and I’m really angry and I’m wondering, why is this continuing the way it is? And why people aren’t taking any notice of how deadly this is?” Jackson said.

The mayor said youth need to rethink some of the prevalent misconceptions about the safety of recreational drug use.

“The majority of young people think recreation is fun … (recreational drug use) has a connotation of being OK,” Jackson said. “But it’s deadly. It’s not fun. And I think we have to look at how society is dealing with the terminology.”

Diana, a parent who asked to be identified only by her first name, said she came out Wednesday night to learn more about the issue. She’s also discussed the issue with her children.

“You have to be sort of aware that it could happen to your own child,” she said. “Don’t expect that it’s other people, or other people who use drugs all the time. It could happen to anyone. You have to be aware.”

Two weeks ago, a group of nine people in Delta overdosed within 20 minutes of snorting cocaine believed to be laced with fentanyl. They all survived after paramedics administered the opioid antidote naloxone.

Police believe the nine 20-somethings were casual cocaine users and not habituated opiate users.

Dubord has said despite the ongoing fentanyl warnings, many drug users still appear to be unprepared to deal with opioids such as fentanyl or W-18 in the drugs they are using.

Delta’ s forums are part of a massive province wide effort to stem the increasing number of deaths from overdosing on drugs tainted with fentanyl. In July, the B.C. government announced it was creating a task force, headed by provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall, to combat the rise in overdoses.

In April, Kendall declared a public health emergency after 201 overdose deaths in the first three months of 2016. Despite efforts to curb the rising death toll with the increased distribution of naloxone, 371 fatal illicit-drug overdoses had been recorded by June 30, with the synthetic opioid fentanyl detected in 60 per cent of cases, according to B.C. Coroners Service data.