Toronto police issue fentanyl warning after 4 downtown overdoses Saturday

Police in Toronto have issued a public safety alert after four drug overdoses were reported in the city’s downtown on Saturday.

Toronto police said that officers believed the overdoses were linked to fentanyl in drugs being distributed in the downtown core.

“The Toronto Police Service wants to remind people that if they are taking drugs, including fentanyl, to use extreme caution and do not take them alone,” police said in a statement.

Fentanyl is a potent opioid.

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According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, it is around 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as a pain relief drug.

A Toronto Public Health report from March said that, between 2017 and 2022, the drug has “consistently directly contributed to the highest percentage of accidental opioid toxicity deaths” in the city.

The public safety alert reminded anyone suffering “serious illness” after drug use should go to an emergency room, walk-in clinic or call 911.