Already responsible for a number of deaths in Western Canada and starting to make inroads in Ontario, the drug fentanyl is being blamed for one death in Guelph.
Fentanyl is a prescription painkiller that is typically cut into pills or powders of other drugs. Police claim it can be as much as 40 times stronger than heroin.
It is also sold in patch form for patients in chronic pain, such as cancer patients. The drug can be scraped off those patches to snort, smoke or chew.
On one day earlier this month, police in Vancouver responded to 16 fentanyl-related overdoses.
Guelph Police say they haven’t seen anywhere near that level of fentanyl use in the city, with only three incidents so far in 2015 – including one fatal overdose.
Four fentanyl-related incidents were reported to Guelph Police in 2014, and two in 2013.
Earlier this week, the commander of the Toronto Police drug squad told reporters that fentanyl was being found mixed into heroin, fake oxycodone pills and other narcotics during police drug raids.
With files from CTVNews.ca
