Fentanyl continues to plague local streets

WATERLOO REGION — Fentanyl, the deadly drug responsible for many of the region’s overdoses, will continue to be a focus for police and its drug and firearms unit in 2019.

There is no sign that the dangers of fentanyl are abating, said Staff Sgt. Brenna Bonn, head of drugs for Waterloo Regional Police. Instead, officers are seeing more fentanyl, including carfentanil, on the region’s streets. Cheap carfentanil has been used as a filler in drugs unknown to the user.

That’s worrisome because carfentanil is 10,000 times more toxic than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl.

“Enforcement is our main concern. We are focusing on the mid to high-level traffickers,” Bonn said.

Most of the traffickers in the region live here.

A team of drug officers target “sophisticated” dealers in all three cities.

Police are part of the harmreduction strategy and are working with the region’s public health unit to reduce the number of overdose deaths.

Last year, 50 people died of an opioid overdose in the region. That’s down from 2017 when 86 died.

Wide availability of the drug naloxone is saving lives and more people are using it to revive their friends or family members.

Officers, who started carrying naloxone in 2017, administered the life-saving drug 35 times in 2018, compared to 22 in 2017.

Even though the number of deaths is decreasing, overdose calls continue to increase.

In 2016, paramedics responded to 410 overdose calls; in 2017, the number jumped to 797 calls; in 2018 there were 843 calls.

Those numbers don’t include overdose deaths, which, if included, would put 2018 numbers at almost 900 opioid-related calls, said Rob Crossan, deputy chief of paramedic services.

Paramedics are going to an average of 2.5 overdose calls a day.

According to the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario, data for 2018 shows that people who die from overdoses are more likely to be male, between the ages of 25 and 44, unemployed, and living in a private dwelling.

Crossan said the public distribution of naloxone has “undoubtedly saved countless of lives.”

But it is not a solution, only “a big Band-Aid,” he said.

Giving users options such as supervised consumption sites and treatment alternatives is important, Crossan said.

The cost may seem high but having someone overdose, then transported to hospital by ambulance, admitted in the emergency department and spending five days in the intensive care unit is much more expensive, he said.