Waterloo Regional Police warn about carfentanil that looks like cannabis

WATERLOO REGION — Waterloo Regional Police have issued a warning about a product that looks like cannabis but isn’t.

The product contains the deadly drug carfentanil, said Staff Sgt. Brenna Bonn, head of drugs for Waterloo Regional Police.

Police say the product has not been seen in Waterloo Region but the warning is being put out by the Waterloo Region Integrated Drugs Strategy because of the potential dangers.

“This is fenantyl that is made to look like cannabis,” Bonn said.

Police believe the product is being used to mimic marijuana so that police won’t seize it if they find it.

“They have produced it to look like cannabis to avoid detection,” she said.

But there is no cannabis in it.

“If you have a bag that looks like that, someone will think it’s cannabis and not think it’s fentanyl on first look,” Bonn said.

Legally, people can carry up to 30 grams of cannabis with them.

A similar product that looks like cannabis was seized by police in another location in Ontario, Bonn said.

The same product was also seized in Ohio. There, it contained heroin and fentanyl.

“Generally, what other services see, we see as well,” she said.

Last week, two Milton teens, 16 and 18, lost consciousness and began to experience seizures after smoking what they thought was cannabis.

Halton Regional Police arrived at the home to find the unconscious teens collapsed on the back deck. They were both given naloxone.

One teenager received a single dose of naloxone, while the other required a second dose before regaining consciousness.

Police said they believe both boys had an opioid present in their bodies because of their quick recovery once they were given naloxone. They believe the cannabis was laced with fentanyl.

Bonn said the location in Ontario where police seized the fentanyl that looks like cannabis was not in the Milton area.

lmonteiro@therecord.com

Twitter: @MonteiroRecord

lmonteiro@therecord.com

Twitter: @MonteiroRecord