A two-year-old toddler was witness to a fentanyl overdose in rural Nova Scotia this past weekend.
RCMP in Shelburne responded to a 911 call Saturday night where they say seven people were found to be using drugs — believed to be cocaine.
The toddler found in the residence was placed in the care of a family member, while members responded to the call.
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RCMP say four people were experiencing “sickness” related to the drug use, two people were experiencing seizures and one person told police she believed she ingested fentanyl.
Police administered Naloxone to the female to “somewhat stabilize her,” while emergency medical services were sought out.
“This is the first one we’ve heard of in recent times, particularly in Shelburne. People need to know that fentanyl may be out there, people who choose to use illicit drugs need to understand that fentanyl can be fatal. A very, very small amount can kill you,” said Halifax District RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Clarke.
The incident has caused widespread concern about the potential for increased overdoses if the risk isn’t taken seriously by recreational drug users.
Adam Dolliver, the executive director of SHYFT Youth Services in Yarmouth, says his team has reached out to many young people in light of the fentanyl incident to stress the need for overdose awareness and prevention methods.
“What we’re seeing is there are kind of two attitudes amongst the youth that is predominant. One is that, ‘This is not going to happen to me, that I’m invulnerable and that it is something that happens to other people,'” he said.
“The other attitude is, ‘Well I’m very careful and I know where my drugs are coming from and I trust the person who’s providing them to me so I’m not worried,'” he said.
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Dolliver says support workers in southern Nova Scotia are faced with the challenge of trying to emphasize the heightened risk that comes with recreational drug use now that fentanyl is spreading across the province.
“We find that the concern level of the youth does not match ours. They are not really concerned about this issue even though it happened so close,” he said.
Meanwhile in Halifax, the director of a community-based methadone clinic, Direction 180, feels more people in rural communities with lived drug experiences need to come forward to share their experiences and help others.
“What we’d like to see really is some champions on the ground. So people with lived experience connecting with folk so that they can provide information on how to use more safely, connect people to services that need services and support if they need treatment,” said Cindy MacIsaac.
“Just overall, be there to support people, to kind of decrease that stigma and that judgment that people often feel.”