Pubdate: Tue, 03 Mar 2015 Source: Metro (Vancouver, CN BC) Copyright: 2015 Metro Canada Contact: http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3775 Author: Thandi Fletcher Page: 2 OFFICIALS WARN CASUAL USERS ABOUT POWERFUL NARCOTIC Fentanyl. Detected in 25% of overdose deaths in B.C. last year B.C. police and health officials are warning casual drug users of the dangers of fentanyl following a spike in overdose deaths. Police say fentanyl, a powerful narcotic prescribed by doctors in patch form for severe pain, has been showing up mixed with street drugs like heroin and even marijuana. Last year, fentanyl was detected in 25 per cent of the 336 deaths from illicit drug overdoses in B.C., up from five per cent in 2012, according to the BC Coroners Service. The majority of people dying of fentanyl overdoses are men between the ages of 20 and 49 who snort or smoke drugs recreationally - not heavy drug addicts on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, said health officials. "These people are taking a drug that they're not expecting to take that they have no tolerance to, and they're experiencing bad outcomes," said Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health. "The real point of this campaign is to get at a drug-using population that we don't know how to communicate with =C2=85 because those are the people that are actually dying of this probl em." With the increase in overdose deaths linked to fentanyl, police believe more of the drug is circulating in B.C. street drugs. Fentanyl is "extremely potent" and even a small amount can cause an overdose, said Lysyshyn. "It's a respiratory depressant and that's how it kills people," he said. Dr. Eleni Galanis of the BC Centre for Disease Control said people may be using street drugs like heroin or oxycodone without knowing it contains fentanyl or another substance. She said the drug is especially dangerous for people who use drugs recreationally as they haven't built up tolerance. Health officials urged anyone who sees someone in medical distress to call 911 and stay with them until paramedics arrive. Officials also urged people who use drugs to never use alone, to use only a small amount to start and to not mix drugs and alcohol. Signs of a fentanyl overdose include extreme sleepiness, difficulty walking and talking, slowed breathing and snoring. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt