Three die of suspected drug poisonings in one week in Waterloo Region
A community drug alert has been issued for Waterloo Region.
The Waterloo Region Integrated Drug Strategy (WRIDS) says from March 19 to March 26, three people died of suspected drug poisonings throughout the region.
According to WRIDS, the unregulated drug supply is unpredictable and drug overdoses and poisonings may require more naloxone and unexpected reactions could happen.
“Overdoses do occur as people use substances that they often don’t know what substances they’re actually using,” explained Cameron Dearlove, the WRIDS chair and executive director of Porchlight Counselling and Addiction Services. “If something has chemicals in it that they’re not expecting, then sometimes these overdoses come in waves like this.”
The Kitchener CTS Drug Checking Program has recently detected fentanyl in samples, combined with various new fentanyl analogues, bromazolam, xylazine, and medetomidine/dexmedetomidine.
It’s not known if any of these substances were involved in recent fatal overdoses.
“There are a number of harm reduction strategies that are in place to try to keep people safe when they’re using an unregulated drug,” Dearlove added. “The CTS site in Kitchener would be one that would be recommended that people use there so that they would be supervised and can get lifesaving treatment if that’s needed. As well as the Safe Supply program, which provides legal pharmaceutical opioids to participants to keep them away from the unregulated drug supply.”
If people do choose to use unregulated substances, Dearlove urges them to never use alone and to have a supply of naloxone available as more potent drugs may be increasingly dangerous.
“Especially with these types of substances that have been detected, it may require additional doses of naloxone, and that’s why it’s important that people have a supply of [naloxone] to make sure that they can try to reverse those overdoses. And then, of course, calling 911 and making sure that the paramedics can arrive as soon as possible.”
Dearlove added that there’s no reason not to call 911 because users of illegal substances may be protected under the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, which provides “some legal protection for people who experience or witness an overdose and call 911 or their local emergency number for help.” The act can protect people from charges of simple possession and breach of conditions.
Dearlove also encourages people throughout the region to consider carrying naloxone.
“It’s very easy to use. Naloxone is meant to be easy to use by anybody, and people should carry it with them even it they are not somebody that uses substances, or don’t know anybody who uses substances. You never know when it might come in handy. A lot of pharmacies have it available if you ask. The pharmacist can do the quick training. It really only takes one minute to figure out how to use it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
'Do not consume': Gift Chocolate recalled due to undeclared milk, soy
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
Ontario to ban use of cellphones in school classrooms starting in September
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
BREAKING Quebec to invest $603 million to protect the French language
Quebec will invest $603 million over five years to counter the decline of French in the province, French Language Minister Jean-Francois Roberge announced Sunday.
Key mediator Qatar urges Israel and Hamas to do more to reach a cease-fire deal
A senior Qatari official has urged Israel and Hamas to show "more commitment and more seriousness" in ceasefire negotiations in interviews with Israeli media, as pressure builds to reach a deal that would free some Israeli hostages and bring a ceasefire in the nearly seven-month-long war in Gaza.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Campus anti-war protesters dig in across U.S. as schools, police take action
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war woke up in tents at college campuses across the United States Sunday morning planning more protests demanding that schools cut financial ties to Israel and divest from companies accused of enabling the conflict.