A Fentanyl Patch 4 Patch program has officially been launched in Sarnia-Lambton that community leaders hope will eventually eradicate the illegal misuse of the powerful synthetic prescription opiod. Local police, public health officials, pharmacists and doctors have partnered together to ensure each patch handed out is brought back in whole and disposed of correctly. Sarnia Police Chief Phil Nelson says it ensures patches are not destroyed for users to smoke, chew, or inject into their bodies. "This is a deadly drug in the wrong hands. People don't understand how strong it is," says Nelson. "If there's one less death caused by the overdose of this drug, then this program is successful." Detective Constable Mike Howell has been working on this project since March and is very proud to see it up and running.
"This is a devastating problem to have in this area. It's four and a half times the provincial death rate that we have in Lambton County," says Howell. "It shows that, specifically with this drug, we are way out of wack of where we should be provincially."
Fentanyl is being sold on the street for as much as $400. It is 100 times more potent than morphine and 40 times more potent than heroin. Misuse of the pain medication has resulted in a rapid increase in overdoses and fatalities.
