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Kingston Public Health officials say carfentanil present in area street drugs

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Kingston Public Health officials say carfentanil present in area street drugs
Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid far more potent and lethal than fentanyl, and Kingston-area health officials say it's being found in local drug supplies – Jan 26, 2018

It first became prevalent in the region last year but since then, it’s gotten worse, and local health officials say it’s made its way to Kingston. Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid — 100 times more lethal than fentanyl.

It has been found in all kinds of street drugs like heroin and cocaine as well as prescription pills like Percocet — so those ingesting the potentially deadly drug are likely not even aware they’re taking it — and because of the way it’s added, one hit may have more or less than the last.

“One of the biggest things people can do is not to use alone,” KFL&A Public Health’s Associate Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Fareen Karachiwalla said. 

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“So use with somebody else, and make sure you recognize the signs and symptoms of an overdose.”

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Dr. Karachiwalla adds, those who do plan on using should make sure they have a naloxone kit nearby. Naloxone will reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, but with carfentanil, one dose may not be enough.

“What we’re seeing is you may even need higher and higher doses of naloxone,” she said. “So encouraging [them] if they don’t respond with the first dose, to try again a few more times even.”

The presence of drugs like carfentanil has even changed the way Kingston police officers deal with any confiscated narcotics.

Drugs are processed in an automated safety controller to remove any airborne substances.

“Years ago, you’d maybe just give it a quick sniff, and you could tell from the smell what kind of drug it is,” Kingston police Staff Sgt. Greg Sands said. “Yeah, you don’t do that anymore.”

The opioid crisis across Canada has been growing at an alarming rate, and while in Kingston it’s not yet reached the level it has in other parts of the country, public health officials are hoping to get the word out now before it’s too late.

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