A recent news article with the headline, “Drug checks found 80 per cent contained fentanyl” is a real wake-up call for people, especially those who use drugs.
I am referring to a pilot project in Vancouver that tests street drugs for the deadly opioid called fentanyl. Eighty per cent of the 1,000 drugs tested during a nine-month period were laced with this killer.
One medical health officer in Vancouver reported that the drug checks resulted in clients reducing their drug intake, therefore decreasing their risk of overdose.
I want every young person to realize this and pay attention. If this can save one kid from an overdose, it’s worth it!
More testing of street drugs could save lives and alleviate this public health (fentanyl) emergency in Canada.
They say that fentanyl is 100 times more toxic than morphine, and a dose the size of a grain or two of sand can result in a fatal overdose.
It is reported that more than 900 people died of illicit drug overdoses in BC last year, with approximately 60 per cent of the deaths linked to fentanyl.
Please, I implore people to think about this!
Norman Jahnke, Oliver
