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3 to 4 people die every day in Alberta from opioids: Calgary police chief

WATCH ABOVE: Two RCMP officers share stories of their encounters with fentanyl users and how the drug poses a deadly threat to users, the public and first responders – Feb 2, 2017

CALGARY – Calgary’s police chief has painted a bleak picture of efforts to fight opioid use in the city.

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Roger Chaffin told a college audience that opioids such as fentanyl lead to three or four deaths in Alberta every day.

READ MORE: Fentanyl crisis: Calgary police chief says Alberta NDP’s response is lacking

He said fentanyl seizures last year were up 675 per cent over the five-year average. Chaffin also said methamphetamine use is up 273 per cent over that same five-year average.

READ MORE: Calgary addictions recovery centre gets $7M from Alberta government

The chief said the demand for drugs has resulted in skyrocketing rates of vehicle thefts and break-ins.

Calgary Police Service chief Roger Chaffin speaks during an interview with the Canadian Press in Calgary, Alta., Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Chaffin says one solution would be legal consumption sites where health professionals can oversee the use of drugs and the safety of users.

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In 2016, 343 people in Alberta died from an apparent drug overdose related to fentanyl (including 22 cases where carfentanil was involved), according to a report from Alberta Health.

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