Fentanyl-laced heroin suspected in 4 fatal overdoses in 2 days
Posted July 29, 2017 5:54 pm.
Last Updated September 12, 2018 11:46 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A woman found dead in a Regent Park stairwell on Saturday afternoon appears to be the fourth person to die of an overdose in the downtown area over the past two days.
Police believe a batch of heroin laced with fentanyl is to blame for the four deaths, as well as 20 overdoses, since Thursday, but they are still investigating.
The sheer number of incidents has prompted them to issue a public safety alert.
“Whether this is a symptom of a wider problem, we’re still waiting to see,” said Const. Craig Brister.
“If you have people out there that are using this type of drug, use extreme caution when handling it. And somebody knows who has got these drugs, who’s doing this, and we need them to contact us.”
But Leigh Chapman of the Toronto Harm Reduction Alliance says it’s equally important for all first responders, not just paramedics, to start carrying naloxone to reverse the effects of an overdose.
“These are preventable deaths. These are entirely preventable,” she said.
“If people are getting trained in CPR, they should be trained in naloxone and be able to administer it. And certainly first responders need to be able to carry and administer it. Otherwise they shouldn’t be first responders.”
Police said anyone who comes into contact with a substance believed to be heroin should exercise extreme caution. People should call police immediately if any potentially dangerous items are spotted in parks or public areas.
