The Saskatchewan Coroners Service has issued a warning about street drug use following a string of overdoses in Regina.
Since the beginning of the year, the Regina Police Service (RPS) has been made aware of 69 overdoses, two of which were fatal.
A 28-year-old man and 37-year-old woman died hours apart last Friday night and Saturday morning. Police said there was evidence of drug use in both deaths.
While the deaths remain under investigation, preliminary toxicology points to lethal levels of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
“We know that this can be a fatal combination and that anyone who uses street drugs is at risk of an overdose,” Chief Coroner Clive Weighill said.
Last week, Superintendent Lorilee Davies said information linked a bad batch of fentanyl to the rash of overdoses.
In Saskatchewan, take-home Naloxone kits are free upon request for people at risk of an opioid overdose or those who may witness an overdose. Naloxone can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
The coroner’s office notes that Naloxone does not replace the need for further emergency assistance.
More to come…