The mayors of some major Canadian cities call it a national emergency: hundreds of Canadians are dying every year from fentanyl overdoses.
So far Quebec has largely been spared but authorities fear it won’t last and say fentanyl, an opioid, is only the tip of the iceberg.
READ MORE: Drug overdose deaths continue to rise in B.C. in 2016
“Here in the public health department we are trying to be prepared for this crisis,” Dr. Carole Morissette of Montreal’s Public Health said.
“We are concerned by the opioids crisis in general.”
Opiods are part of a family of drugs used primarily for pain relief but they can also produce feelings of euphoria, which can make you prone to abuse.
READ MORE: Ontario to stop paying for high-dose opioids in push to reduce addiction
You might know these drugs as oxycodone, hydrocone and morphine.
Fentanyl is a more potent version of these opioids.
It can be up to 100 times more potent than morphine.
Julie Bruneau, a researcher with the University of Montreal Hospital, says the issue is not only the abusive consumption of opioids but the fact those drugs are being laced with fentanyl.
What’s worse, consumers often don’t know it.
“I’ve seen one overdose last week in the intensive care unit that almost died and he said he thinks it was fentanyl,” Bruneau mentioned as an example.
She fears we could see more cases like it.
In the last few months, police in the Montreal area have made several raids related to the drug.
This month at Mirabel Airport, Canada Border Services confiscated two packages of carfentanil – a deadlier version of fentanyl.
One salt-sized grain of carfentanil is enough to kill someone. Police seized enough to make 10 million lethal doses.
READ MORE: 10 million lethal doses of carfentanil seized at Mirabel Airport
Bruneau says these two drugs are only the tip of the iceberg.
“If we address the opioid crisis, and we’re successful, then obviously the fentanyl will go with it.”
Montreal’s Public Health agrees.
British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario have been dealing with a fentanyl crisis for months now. Hundreds of people have died in those provinces.
READ MORE: A province-by-province look at opioid-overdose stats, including fentanyl
Councillor wants the city to do more
City councillor Marvin Rotrand wants the city to do more to prevent a crisis in Montreal.
He wants the city to create a prevention strategy and a working table between public health, the police and community organizations.
“I raised an important question and I didn’t get the reaction that I wanted,” he said.
Rotrand said the response was that “it’s not necessary because it was raised by the Big City Mayors’ Caucus, and they’re aware of it”.
The caucus brings together mayors of Canada’s biggest cities to work on policy development on a range of issues affecting our the country’s largest urban centres.
“That’s all good but I wanted to leverage the resources we have at the base,” Rotrand said.
“Montreal and the province of Quebec are unlikely to avoid the opioid drug crisis that is killing thousands across North America,” Rotrand added.
Public Health taking steps to mitigate possible crisis
Public Health agrees said steps are being taken to mitigate a possible crisis.
Naloxone kits, which can save the life of someone suffering an overdose, are available for people with addictions to take home.
Morissette says increasing awareness is another step and they’re working along with the city to do so.
READ MORE: Montreal mayor pledges to open injection sites even without federal approval
Back in 2015 Montreal announced the creation of public injection sites.
However, the centres haven’t opened yet.
Experts believe injection sites would allow for faster treatment of fentanyl overdoses.