Fentanyl overdoses on the rise in Waterloo Region
Posted Apr 5, 2017 04:16:42 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
With the growing concern of Fentanyl overdoses in Waterloo Region, police are releasing disturbing new stats, but also, an action plan.
In 2015 officers seized 2.09 grams of fentanyl in our region, in 2016 they seized 624 grams.
“This is a tidal wave. We’re getting wet now, we’re getting splashed now, but the big splash is on it’s way when you look at Western Canada and the trends that are coming across,” says Regional Police Chief Byran Larkin. “We need to prepare, there’s a sense of urgency, a sense of crisis, and there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
Just two milligrams of pure Fentanyl is enough to kill the average person, about the size of four grains of salt.
Larkin says in a week or so, front-line officers will be equipped with Naloxone nasal spray, a tool to help combat opioid overdoses.
“Very soon we’ll be one of the first largest police services in Ontario to deploy Naloxone, I think it’s something we should be proud of. Peterborough was the first service in the province, but we’re a close second behind.”
He says this will also help officers that handle evidence at the station, and even on police dogs that may come in contact with the drug while doing a search.
Regional Police saw over 50 Fentanyl-related overdoses last year.
