TORONTO -- A warning has been issued after police say they found a new strain of fentanyl at the scene of an overdose incident in Newmarket, Ont.
According to York Regional Police, the fentanyl had “distinctive” orange and pink colouring that officers have not seen before. The drug was consumed using a vape pen, investigators said, and was mixed with nicotine oil.
“This could pose a significant risk to public safety, especially if residents are unaware of this consumption method and assume a vape pen they may use contains nothing more than nicotine or other flavourings,” police said in a news release issued on Thursday afternoon.
Police say that fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine and that two milligrams of the drug in its purest form is enough to kill an average adult.
Someone overdosing on the drug may experience slow and irregular breathing, pinpoint pupils, muscle rigidity, seizures and unconsciousness, police added.
“Treating symptoms of fentanyl require higher doses of the antidote naloxone compared to other opioids.”
The warning comes two weeks after Toronto Public Health issued a drug alert, saying that paramedics received the highest number of suspected opioid overdose calls in a 24-hour period since 2017. Officials said that while specific details were not yet known, there “appears to be a range of substances from the unregulated drug supply involved.”
Last month, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police said that Canada should decriminalize simple possession of hard drugs, adding that over the last six years, 18,000 people across the country have lost their lives to drug addiction.
