Interior Health issues drug alert after carfentanil detected in Salmon Arm, B.C. drug supply

The Interior Health Authority (IHA) is issuing a warning to drug users in Salmon Arm, B.C., after an “extremely toxic” opioid was detected in a white powder substance.

The drug alert says two separate samples of white powder taken in November in the Shuswap community contained carfentanil, fentanyl, heroin and caffeine.

Carfentanil is an opioid that’s 100 times more toxic than fentanyl — and 10,000 times more toxic than morphine.

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Interior Health said the opioid is linked to “many fatalities” in B.C.

Drug users are advised to avoid mixing drugs or combining drugs with alcohol, to not consume drugs alone, to leave the door unlocked and to ask someone to check on them.

2:15 Carfentanil scare in downtown Kelowna may be linked to West Kelowna drug bust

Users are also advised to test a small amount first and consume the drug slowly, to carry a Naloxone kit and know how to use it, and to use at an overdose prevention site or a supervised consumption site if there is one nearby.

Signs of an overdose include slow or no breathing, gurgling or gasping for air, lips and fingertips turning blue, and being non-responsive.

In the event of an overdose, people are asked to contact 911 immediately, open the airway and give rescue breaths, and administer Naloxone, if available.

2:02 Illicit drug users are being warned that there have been 19 suspected carfentanil-related deaths in B.C. this month alone, seven of them within the IH region

Naloxone kits and training are available at the following locations:

•  Salmon Arm MHSU – 431 Hudson Street NE
• Salmon Arm Health Centre – 851 16th Street NE
• Askew’s Pharmacy 2701 11th Ave NE

The alert is in effect until Dec. 24.