Police are warning Londoners after two drug samples seized in the city tested positive for a deadly synthetic opioid.
The London Police Service says the drug carfentanil was found in two separate seizures in London on August 25 and September 11.
Carfentanil is 100 times more powerful than fentanyl and 10,000 times more powerful than morphine. It only takes around 2 mg of carfentanil powder to be lethal, which is the equivalent of a grain of salt. The powder can be inhaled ingested or absorbed through the skin.
“This is a turning point in the local drug crisis and it’s not a turn for the better. I am sad for the effect this will have on the most vulnerable people in our community; even for first time users, it’s like playing Russian roulette,” said Dr. Chris Mackie, medical officer of health with the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “We’ve been anticipating something like this and have been expanding the distribution of naloxone as well as having public consultations about supervised consumption facilities.”
Police say the drug can be mixed with other drugs and undetectable unless tested in a laboratory.
“People should never use alone and they should always have Naloxone with them,” said Dr. Mackie.
This year to date, London police have conducted 23 confirmed seizures of fentanyl, which is a 460% percent increase from the five confirmed fentanyl cases in 2016, said London police Chief John Pare.
The public is asked to call 911 for medical assistance if they suspect that an overdose has taken place.
