Public Health Wants Montrealers To Watch Out For Fentanyl Mixed In Cocaine
Montreal's Direction régionale de santé publique (DRSP) is warning the public to watch out for fentanyl mixed in with cocaine.
The warning comes following a death that occurred after "consumption of a whitish powder containing cocaine and fentanyl," according to the Santé Montréal website.
Fentanyl is 40 times more powerful than heroin and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, says Santé Montréal, which means that tiny amounts can have fatal consequences.
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23%
Of opioid deaths in Quebec involved fentanyl
The statement also said cocaine users can be exposed to fentanyl without their knowledge resulting in a high risk of death.
The city's regional public health department advises people to avoid using cocaine alone, and to stagger the times when group members take cocaine so not everyone's using it at once.
It also suggests testing drugs for fentanyl with test strips.
Naloxone, a fentanyl rescue medication that should be given at the first sign of overdose, is available free of charge from organizations and pharmacies across Montreal so it's good to keep on hand.
But Santé Montréal also urges people to call 911 in the case of an overdose. The "good samaritan law" guarantees immunity from prosecution for witnesses of an overdose who call 911.
Twenty-three percent of opioid-related deaths in Quebec involved fentanyl in 2016, according to Health Canada.