Kendall addresses fentanyl crisis in BC, presence of carfentanil detected

Nine hundred and fourteen people died of illicit drug overdoses in BC during 2016.

Fentanyl was mainly responsible for the crisis.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall says they continue to work with several groups to help combat the issue. “We have worked with the College of Physicians and Surgeons that suboxone is now really the new frontline drug for those who want to move on to opioid-assisted therapy when it becomes more available.”

The province confirmed via lab testing carfentanil is present within the illegal drug supply in BC and is mostly being ingested in the Lower Mainland.

Lab tests detected carfentanil in 57 of 1766 urine samples last month.

Carfentanil is an analog synthetic of the opioid fentanyl and is 10,00 times more potent than morphine.

Kendall adds chronic users who die from illicit drugs are often unsupervised. “Most of the people we are seeing who are dying now are people who use the drugs alone, people who are using drugs should always have a sober person nearby who can administer naloxone, rescue breathing and is prepared to call 911.”

Ten people died in Northern BC died from illicit drug overdoses in December surpassing the previous high of eight in March.

142 people died from illicit drug overdoses during the same month province-wide which is a new all-time high in BC.