LITERACY LIONS: Harwin Elementary gets a big grant A2 Friday, May 24, 2013 Going to France for school sounds like a great way to spend a semester A13
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Police warn about heroin look-alike DELYNDA PILON newsroom@pgfreepress.com
A prescription drug sold as heroin may have killed two people in the city within the last five months, according to a press release from the Prince George RCMP. A public health warning was issued by the RCMP April 27 after Fentanyl, a powerful narcotic described as being about 100 times more potent than morphine, according to Wikipedia, was identified after tests were performed on street drugs seized by the police during a drug-trafficking investigation. “They are both opiates and look similar,” Cpl. Craig Douglass, media liaison with the RCMP said. “Investigators certainly believed it to be heroin, and it was seized as heroin.” Police also believe those in possession of it, who were selling it, thought it was heroin. “In speaking with those we allege were selling it, we believe they believed it to be heroin as well,” Douglass said, adding police don’t believe there was malicious intent. “They don’t want their customers to die. “It’s not a street drug. We don’t see it on the street. Somewhere along the line it ended up in the drug distribution system.” Once they realized what they thought was heroin came back as Fentanyl, one officer looked back at sudden deaths, Douglass said, adding the officer concentrated on known heroin users. Fentanyl appears to be the cause of death in two of those
cases. On May 17 the RCMP and the coroners service were provided with the lab test results conducted on two men who died who were known heroin users. Fentanyl appears to be the cause of both deaths, one that happened in November of last year and another this April. “We don’t know if they knew it was Fentanyl, but we suspect not,” Douglass said. “If they used their usual dose, certainly that increases their risk of death. Heroin is so strong as it is, and users would know how much to use to get the high they want.” Using that same amount of Fentanyl could mean an overdose. Douglass reminded the public there is no good way to indulge in heroin. “It is always a risk,” he said. “There is no way to control quality.” Besides the fluctuations in the purity of heroin and the question of what was used to cut it, now another drug, one far more potent, can cause overdoses. “We have to make a public plea,” Douglass said. “It might stop somebody, alter their routine, cause them to maybe use less. We have to get the word out. If even one stops this is worthwhile.” Douglass added the police have informed their partners about the drug, including people at the needle exchange centre and Northern Health, as well as other medical professionals. “We want to work with medical health professionals to try to get them into treatment,” Douglass said.
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Country rock superstar Carrie Underwood has a crowd of 5,100 at CN Centre in a fan frenzy Tuesday. See concert review on page A10.
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