Toronto turning to addicts to stop drug overdoses
Posted September 16, 2015 1:31 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto is turning to addicts to stop drug overdoses, providing them with an EpiPen-like device commonly used by paramedics.
Toronto Public Health said earlier this month they were using Naloxone because it can reverse the effects of an opiate overdose if used within a short period. Like an EpiPen, it also has a low potential for misuse.
Some addicts fear that calling 911 for an overdose will result in an arrest. By providing the drug directly to addicts, as part of a larger program known as the POINT program, the city hopes to reduce overdose deaths.
In 2004, 144 people died because of drug overdoses, and 79 of those were accidental, according to Toronto Public Health. By 2012, that number had climbed to 196, with 131 of those being accidental.
The deaths were most commonly caused by opioids and that’s a big concern because there’s a new, highly potent one on the streets.
Fentanyl, which is typically prescribed for chronic pain, has become a popular mixing agent for drugs like cocaine, heroin or oxycontin, because fentanyl increases the effects of the drug.
It’s especially dangerous because in many cases, users aren’t made aware that their drugs have been laced with the synthetic opioid.
Fentanyl is described as 40 times more potent than heroin, and 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine.
According to the Canadian Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use, there have been 655 deaths attributed to fentanyl between 2009 and 2014.
