Alberta shepherds in new era in global fight against fentanyl INNISFAIL - Alberta is leading the world in fentanyl detection, having developed the first safe method for police dogs to detect the deadly drug. All but one of the 136 drug-detecting dogs schooled at the RCMP facility just north of Calgary have been trained to aid in the fentanyl crisis that's taking thousands of live. The RCMP developed a liquid solution for training because powdered fentanyl was too dangerous. The equivalent of just two grains of salt is enough to kill someone and was the reason agencies across the world didn't attempt to develop the solution themselves, said Staff Sgt. Gary Creed, senior trainer for the RCMP police dog service. [continues 219 words]
Last month, you could hear the collective global gasp when news broke that eminent Zen Buddhist Michael Stone had passed away in Victoria, B.C. The shock was a natural reaction to the unexpected death of a beloved force of nature, a powerful communicator who, through his ability to make ancient spiritual ideas fresh and relevant, helped improve the lives of countless people around the world. Stone left behind a wife and two children - with another on the way - and would have celebrated his 43rd birthday this past Saturday. But what also caused thousands of jaws to drop from the news was the Stone's cause of death: the charismatic, world-renowned and respected yoga/meditation/mindfulness expert, author, and speaker - who founded the Centre of Gravity in Toronto-died after OD-ing on street drugs. [continues 1019 words]
Two local mothers are bringing awareness to the rippling effect drugs leave on families by sharing the stories of their own children enveloped in the throes of addiction. Opening a public discussion about drug addiction is how mothers Shawna Taylor of Airdrie and Christina Sackett of Crossfield first connected. "There are so many families being affected," Taylor said. "I think the stigma is so incredible that people are embarrassed to come forward. It took us a long time." Taylor has been married to her husband Jeff for 23 years and said the two raised their daughter, Kenedee, and son, Nathan, to respect curfews and stay away from drugs. [continues 992 words]
On top of city, region and provincial efforts, Matt Brown makes new bid to tackle local crisis, issues Another drug crisis, another drug strategy. In the midst of an ongoing London drug strategy, a regional drug strategy and a provincial drug strategy - none of them completed yet - the city's mayor wants his own drug strategy. But the new effort will be nimble with a concrete focus, battling opioid overdoses and other problems in large part through the establishment of a supervised injection site, city health leaders promise. [continues 571 words]
Five people in two days sent to hospital after taking drugs believed to be laced with fentanyl Local health officials are raising the alarm after a string of fentanyl overdoses this week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, five people, including three in Kingston, were sent to hospital after taking drugs believed to be laced with bootleg fentanyl. "What we know is all five did require paramedic services and support in hospital, and we believe that they are related to fentanyl-contaminated drugs, just from the clinical signs and symptoms we saw," said Fareen Karachiwalla, associate medical officer of health with Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Public Health. [continues 740 words]
The people who want to walk the riverside trails in Galt without being confronted by the discarded syringes of drug addicts have every right to voice concern. I don't blame them one bit for wanting to reclaim their community and asking that it be cleaned up. Robin Thomas, who carries her dog in order to protect it from stepping on drug paraphernalia, often sees clothes and backpacks stowed in the underbrush. Sometimes she even sees people who are "almost comatose." [continues 489 words]
Cambridge mayor says group will offer solutions, but will take 'whole community to solve this problem' CAMBRIDGE - Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig says he's creating a city task force to find solutions to the fentanyl crisis plaguing his city. The city initiative has been in the works for three months, said Craig, and is not a "knee-jerk" reaction to recent comments made by Cambridge coroner Dr. Hank Nykamp. Nykamp, a coroner since 1985, said Cambridge is becoming the drug capital of Ontario with "drug houses" and "crystal meth factories." [continues 630 words]
Drug use, disposed syringes a concern in downtown Galt CAMBRIDGE - Robin Thomas often holds her pet Chihuahua in her arms when she takes him for a walk on the trail along the Grand River behind her condo building. She's afraid her dog will step on used syringes that litter the brush near the trail. Thomas lives at The Grand Condominium at Waterscape on Water Street. She moved there almost two years because she wanted to live in downtown Galt and was attracted to the view of the river from her balcony. [continues 922 words]
Property crimes of all sorts have increased in 2016, according to statistics included within the Medicine Hat Police's 2016 annual report published last week - numbers police say are linked together with the increased amount of meth and opiates being seen in the city. "The biggest thing is thefts of convenience," said Insp. Brent Secondiak of the MHPS. "They will take stuff to make money that's convenient for them ... they won't do a lot of work for it." "They will steal stuff from vehicles that are left open, they'll steal stuff from bicycles left in the yard." [continues 346 words]
A "huge spike" in opiate and methamphetamine seizures this past year poses a deadly and multifaceted problem for local law enforcement, says a police inspector. "We are hugely concerned with meth," said Insp. Brent Secondiak, speaking about the 2016 annual police report released last week. In 2016, police seized 52.5 grams of heroin and 1,474 grams of meth, a 563 per cent and 300 per cent increase from 2015 respectively. While fentanyl has made headlines across Canada for its deadliness, Secondiak said it hasn't been a problem in Medicine Hat compared to other drugs. [continues 499 words]
CAMBRIDGE - Cambridge coroner Dr. Hank Nykamp is tired of political rhetoric and inaction as the local fentanyl crisis deepens. The longtime city doctor has been a Cambridge coroner since 1985. He has seen the best and worst of the city during his career. He loves this city, but believes more must be done to stem the growing number of opioid overdose cases crossing his examination table. "Five years ago it was oxycodone. Now it's fentanyl and carfentanil, which is even more powerful and used to knock out elephants," he said. "Something needs to be done and we can't wait on the politicians." [continues 836 words]
The provincial government has begun to amp its plans for when the federal cannabis legislation comes into effect next year by July 1st. The Alberta Government is currently conducting a survey asking Albertans how they would like to see cannabis use and distribution be implemented in this province. Alberta Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Kathleen Ganley said July 1st, 2018 is an ambitious timeline, however this provincial survey - which has already had over 35,000 respondents - will help provincial legislation reflect the values of Albertans. [continues 626 words]
Instead of overlooking the true issue of drug addiction in Chatham-Kent and participating in the stigma that surrounds it, our community must be proactive. Now is our opportunity to help individuals suffering from drug addiction and prevent needless overdoses while simultaneously protecting public health. Last year in Canada there were 2458 opioid related overdose deaths (two every day in Ontario), all which were preventable. Some readers may turn a blind eye to this statistic and argue, "who cares?" and "better for the rest of us". My question for those people is, when did we lose our sense of community? When did we become so individualistic that our judgment of others has clouded our ability to feel empathy? [continues 383 words]
MJPS call recent arrests a success, but more work still to be done Crystal methamphetamine isn't a newcomer to the Friendly City, but it does seem to be getting better acquainted with it. "It's a drug that's much more available than it was even five years ago," Cpl. Kevin Pilsworth of the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) said on Thursday. "In the past few years, we've really seen it make its way onto the map in Moose Jaw." [continues 478 words]
Two sites in the Vancouver region have become the first in Canada to receive federal approval to allow users to snort or swallow drugs while under supervision. Until now, supervised drug-consumption sites have been limited to injection drug users. Two sites have been operating in Vancouver for more than a decade, while others have recently received approval in the Vancouver area, Montreal and Toronto. The two sites approved to expand services to non-injectable drugs are in Surrey, south of Vancouver. The public SafePoint supervised-consumption site, located on what's known as the "Surrey Strip," opened three weeks ago. The Quibble Creek Sobering and Assessment Centre began offering supervised consumption for clients one week ago. [continues 565 words]
Prevention, early intervention key, Rich says Abbotsford Police Chief Bob Rich recalls the phone call he received from a mom traumatized by the death of her adult son. The man was prescribed opioids to cope with the physical pain following an operation, but he became addicted and turned to buying drugs on the streets. His habit turned fatal when he ingested a substance that was, unknowingly to him, laced with fentanyl. "That's just horrible to me. We're talking about somebody who never would have been a drug addict That makes me angry," Rich said of the incident. [continues 355 words]
Restorative justice offers better way to discipline students than suspension A decade ago, principal Keith MacQuarrie was frustrated with the number of students he was suspending for drugs and sending to board hearings for chronic absenteeism. The tipi room is sometimes used for restorative circles at the Ermineskin Junior Senior High School in central Alberta. He piped Frank Sinatra songs into the lunch detention room at Ermineskin Junior/Senior High School in Maskwacis, hoping students would be annoyed enough to follow the rules. It didn't work. [continues 1291 words]
Desperate for relief from unbearable pain following knee surgery, Lorna Bird says she was forced to buy drugs from the Downtown Eastside streets of Vancouver when her doctor stopped prescribing an opioid in response to new standards aimed at preventing fatal overdoses. "I started with heroin because I couldn't stand the pain," Ms. Bird said, recalling her fears about dying from fentanyl-laced street drugs because "everybody was croaking" and she didn't want her grandchildren dealing with that outcome. [continues 427 words]
The Yukon and British Columbia experienced the highest rates of apparent opioid-related deaths in Canada last year. According to a new national report from the federal government, the territory and province had a rate of over 15 deaths per 100,000 population compared to a national rate of 8.8 in 2016. "I don't think it's a surprise," Dr. Brendan Hanley, the Yukon's chief medical officer, told the Star of the findings this morning. He noted that the territory's high rates are driven by the five deaths officially linked to fentanyl since April 2016. [continues 624 words]
The article Needles the cause, cure (May 23) postulates possible reasons for higher rates of HIV and hepatitis C virus in London. As an organization that advocates with and for people who inject drugs ( PWID), we note that, while unsafe injection practices may be a potential driver of these increased rates, it is probably not the only influence. There are multiple social and systemic influences that may not only contribute to the increase of disease, but also contribute to overall diminished health of those who inject drugs. [continues 404 words]
