07 Jan Lethbridge cops warn of ‘extremely potent batch’ of drugs after deaths
Kristen Harding, a spokesperson for the Lethbridge Police Service, said two people died in the early morning hours of Sunday and it is believed both people died of an opioid overdose. An injection kit is seen inside the newly opened Fraser Health supervised consumption site is pictured in Surrey, B.C., Tuesday, June 6, 2017.
Police in Lethbridge are urging citizens to take extra precautions around opioids after two people died of suspected overdoses in less than a day.
Kristen Harding, a spokesperson for the Lethbridge Police Service, said two people died in the early morning hours of Sunday and it is believed both people died of an opioid overdose.
Harding said it’s unknown what type of opioid caused the overdoses but the service is warning users about an “extremely potent batch of opioids is in circulation on city streets.”
And while Harding said police don’t recommend anyone use opioids like fentanyl and carfentanil recreationally, she did say users should do so as safely as possible by having an opioid-reversing Naloxone kit on hand.
“Anyone using opioids is advised to do so at the Supervised Consumption Site or have Naloxone and someone with the ability to administer it nearby,” Harding said in a statement.
Naloxone kits are available free of charge through Alberta Health Services to anyone at risk of opioid overdose. You can get a kit from walk-in clinics and pharmacies and AHS has a map of all Naloxone locations available on its website.
Up until the end of September 2018, there were 523 fatal opioid overdoses in Alberta.
The Calgary area had the largest number of the opioid fatalities at 64 deaths between July to September last year.
The Blood Tribe Health Department reported 335 overdoses in 2018, a significant jump from the 180 reported in 2017, and the province announced a $2.2-million opioid treatment program for the region in December.
Between October and December alone there were about 100 overdoses on the nearby Kainai First Nation and at least four deaths.
There are currently six supervised consumption sites in Alberta to advance harm reduction throughout the province in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Red Deer.
Police are not releasing any further information about the two deaths.
Lethbridge Police are advising opioid users to be aware of a bad batch of the drug and take precautions.
On Twitter: @RCRumbolt
[ad_2]
Source link
No Comments