OPP are warning the public about the dangers of illicit drug use. It comes in the wake of a recent suspected opioid-related fatality in the James Bay Detachment area.
"Access to several extremely powerful opioids is not limited to larger cities, these drugs have infiltrated every corner of our province in some form or another," says Constable Trevor Tremblay.
Purple heroin, known locally as "Purp", is typically a combination of heroin mixed with either fentanyl and/or carfentanil. Fentanyl is 40 times more potent than heroin and carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl.
In January 2018, the OPP in Simcoe seized a quantity of purple heroin and had it analyzed. The analysis confirmed the presence of heroin, morphine, fentanyl, and carfentanil within the same sample.
"There is no way for users to know exactly what substances are in illicit drugs," says Tremblay. "Carfentanil is so powerful that quantities as small as a grain of sand, could be lethal. Samples from the same batch of drugs could differ in content enough that one user survives and another does not."
These potent opioids are also being added to other seemingly benign drugs such as marijuana.
"When you buy drugs on the street, there is no way of telling whether they have been laced with more powerful substances such as opioids. You can't see them. You can't smell them. You can't taste them. If you buy and consume ANY type of illicit drug, you are putting yourself and potentially others at extreme risk," explains Tremblay.
Anyone who encounters a person who appears to be in a state of overdose should immediately call 911. Take-home Naloxone kits and training are available free of charge and without a prescription. Naloxone can be obtained from your local Health Unit locations as well as participating pharmacies.
For more information about opioids and overdoses, please visit: http://preventod.ca/
