Police warn of increase of fentanyl overdoses

The Woodstock Police Service made a rare warning after they responded to a number of fentanyl overdoses in Woodstock in the past 48 hours.

Police said Saturday evening they’d received “a significant number fentanyl overdoses in the City of Woodstock.”

The release said they seized substances with information that the fentanyl is blue or green in colour. They described it as being “extremely toxic causing an immediate overdose situation.”

Police said they issues the alert to help the public’s awareness with the concern in the community.

When police confiscate drugs following arrests, they send the supply to Health Canada for testing.

A highly addictive opioid pain medication, fentanyl is 100 times more powerful than heroin; a related drug, carfentanyl, is 5,000 times more potent than heroin. Both drugs have been blamed for fuelling the deadly opioid crisis in Canada that’s killed hundreds across Canada in recent years.

According to December 2018 report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, more than 9,000 Canadians died from an opioid related overdose.

Toronto Public Health released information after analyzing residue from a potent batch of fentanyl with similar effects to those described with yellow and blue fentanyl.

The Jan. 29 results found it had residue containing cocaine, acetyl fentanyl, ketamine, methamphetamine, codeine, MDMA, aceteminophen, caffeine and butyrfentanyl.

A report released in Dec. 2018 by Southwestern Public Health looked at the treatment services available in Oxford County as the opioid use across Canada has grown. The report said there were 114 unique opioid treatment services in Oxford provided by 50 individual organizations.

In recent months the Oxford community has seen an increase in the notoriety of fentanyl within the region.

Oxford OPP arrested an Ingersoll man Jan. 10 with possession of blue fentanyl, methamphetamine and hydromorphone. In late-January, Woodstock police arrested a pair of man after they seized about $24,000 worth of fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Southwestern Public Health also put out an alert for blue fentanyl in January then yellow fentanyl in February.

The blue fentanyl was described as being a blue shade similar to billiard chalk and had severe side effects of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea for several days after using.

“Clients don’t know (what’s in it), but they tell us the reaction. It sounds like this is quite a toxic batch with people dropping almost immediately after use and feeling very ill for several days after,” Lisa Gillespie, a public health nurse with Southwestern Public Health told the Sentinel-Review in January. “It was unlike any other experience they’ve had with other substances.”

She recommended people never use alone and use a small amount first since people don’t know the impact.

In a January interview with the Sentinel-Review, OPP constable Ed Sanchuk said even coming into contact with a few grains of fentanyl can be lethal.

“People need to realize they’re rolling the dice any time they consume illicit drugs. You just don’t know if that drug’s been mixed with fentanyl,” he said. “People need to realize that it’s here and they need to be aware of it.”

Anyone with information, can contact Woodstock police at 519-537-2323 or Crime Stoppers at 519-421-8477 or 1-800-222-8477.

Opioid use in Oxford County

Emergency room visits for opioid overdoses

2015: 21

2016: 39

2017: 72

2018: 58

Emergency department visits and hospitalizations for suspected overdoses

2017: 286

2018: 342

2019: 100

Naloxone kits distributed through pharmacies

2016: 69

2017: 380

2018: 2,343

Naloxone kits distributed through SWPH

2018: 120

2019: 27

Opioid-related hospitalizations

2015: 15

2016: 21

2017: 22

2018: 10

Opioid-related deaths

2015: 4

2016: 7

2017: 9

2018: 5

– Information courtesy of Southwestern Public Health monitoring data dashboard as of March 30, 2019.

gcolgan@postmedia.com