The crowd at a fentanyl information forum Wednesday night in Tsawwassen heard just how dangerous the drug can be.
The event, held at South Delta Secondary, was co-hosted by the Delta Police Department, the Corporation of Delta and the Delta School District.
“How many times have we repeated ourselves over and over again about the perils of drug use? Schools and police have constantly been working to educate our youth, but for some reason the message is just not getting across to some,” said Mayor Lois Jackson.
Nine young adults in South Delta overdosed on what was believed to be fentanyl-laced cocaine within a 20-minute period in the early morning hours of Sept. 1. All survived thanks to first responders.
“Unfortunately, since then there has been a fatal overdose in North Delta. My thoughts and prayers, and I know yours are too, go out to the family and friends of that young person,” Jackson told the audience, which filled the majority of the seats of the high school theatre.
The mayor took aim at drug dealers, saying they’re willing to trade lives for a quick and dirty buck.
She said approximately two people die every day in B.C. because of drug overdoses and that 62 per cent of those are linked to fentanyl.
Delta police Sgt. Dave Vaughan-Smith explained that fentanyl, a synthetic opiate, is 100 times stronger than morphine that was developed as a powerful pain killer.
He said the way it’s manufactured for the street offers no quality control whatsoever. Vaughan-Smith said it’s manufactured in clandestine laboratories, basement suites and rented apartments that are “gong shows” inside.
“These drugs aren't being produced by scientists, they’re being produced by drug dealers who hope to get the recipes right ... and if they don’t, they can have severe consequences,” he said.
Vaughan-Smith said a lethal dose of fentanyl is estimated to be in the range of two milligrams. That’s about the size of two grains of salt, he explained.
It’s the active ingredient in a lot of the heroin being sold on the street, what he termed counterfeit heroin, and police are also seeing it in counterfeit oxycodone, he said.
It’s now been seen in cocaine.
“To be honest, we’re not quite sure why it’s in cocaine. It doesn’t make sense for these guys to be adding fentanyl to cocaine.”
Fentanyl-related overdose deaths are a growing trend in B.C. and haven’t shown any signs of slowing down, he said.
Fraser Health’s Dr. Arlene King noted that in April the provincial health officer declared a public health emergency related to the overdose deaths in B.C.
She said that if overdose deaths continue at their current rate, there will be 266 deaths in the Fraser Health Authority in 2016, which is a 32 per cent increase over 2015 and a 100 percent increase over 2014.
“Drugs don’t discriminate. All kinds of users are at risk due to fentanyl. Those who use occasionally, those who experiment, those who are problem users and those who are dependent,” she said.
She referenced Fraser Health’s response, which includes raising awareness about prevention and improving access to naloxone, an antidote to opiate overdoses.
Delta police Chief Neil Dubord closed out the forum by asking those who attended to have at least one conversation with someone who might need it.
“The people that actually needed to hear this presentation here tonight probably weren’t all in this room,” he said. “However, you do know those people. They may be your son, they may be your daughter. They may be your sister, brother, they may be someone in the community. They could be your best friend.”
