WRPS seeing steady increase in synthetic opioid seizures, overdoses
Posted Aug 7, 2024 06:02:09 PM.
Last Updated Aug 8, 2024 10:17:33 AM.
Waterloo Region’s Police Chief is shining a light on a troubling trend: The growing number of opioids being seized across Canada.
Mark Crowell, head of the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS), said it isn’t just fentanyl that’s posing concerns these days.
“We’ve been tracking also the synthetic opioids that have come on board as well,” Chief Crowell, said while on The Mike Farwell Show. “Those have been growing over time.”
He said in particular, hydromorphone, a potent opioid medication for managing chronic pain, is becoming a more prevalent problem, with a steady increase in the number of pills being seized in the community.
That’s in addition to a rising number of fatal overdoses.
“Year-to-date in this region, we’ve had 56 overdose-related deaths. If we look at last year for comparison, we were only at 38,” said Crowell. “So we are seeing an increased number of overdose-related deaths.”
the chief called the overdoses tragedies and said it will take a collaborative effort from both law enforcement and larger systemic supports to tackle the complex issue.
