Fentanyl in Whitecourt

Fentanyl has made its way to our community and it is hurting first time users, recreational drug users, or full blown addicts. It’s dangerous, unpredictable, potent, accessible, and relatively cheap. If you think you’re safe using common, party-type drugs, then you’re wrong because Fentanyl is being laced and cut into all types of drugs including marijuana.

In the first half of 2016, there were 153 deaths in Alberta alone. Across the border in BC, more than 200 overdose deaths have occurred in the same time frame leaving the province no choice but to declare a public health emergency. If those rates continue at the same pace, BC could see as many as 800 deaths this year due to the drug.

On Thursday, November 24, Gay Spence, Youth Pastor at Skyview Alliance Church works part-time with Eagle Tower Victims Services, held part two of her Parent Information Seminars. Night one focused on sexting and date rape while night two focused on Fentanyl and Meth.

“I’m passionate about youth and I know these four topics affect our youth in town and that we’re not having a lot of dialogue. I thought it would be important to impact the parents,” said Spence adding, “it’s important for kids to understand that just because they don’t use Fentanyl doesn’t mean they can’t be exposed to it.”

RCMP Constable Brown was also on hand for the drug seminar and provided a different perspective, helping the topic to truly hit home. “It is something that is impacting our community and it’s something we want people to be aware of and try and work towards preventing further issues,” she said. She also touched base on the fact that first responders, including herself, now carry a Fentanyl combatant which should reinforce just how dangerous it is that there is a need for new measures.

Fentanyl is a potent, synthetic opiate. It is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than pharmaceutical grade or 100 per cent pure heroin. It doesn’t take much to overdose and possibly die, as many have already discovered. It’s a sedative which depresses the activity in the central nervous system and it reduces pain while inducing sleep.  Prescription Fentanyl is used for end-of-life patients in chronic pain and people with cancer. Illegal Fentanyl is made without proper measurement making it akin to Russian roulette.

Attendees heard from an addict who shared her story of addiction and what it was like for her to be completely dependent on Fentanyl. “You feel like your guts are going to fall out but you want to puke them up at the same time. You sweat profusely and your nose drips all day. You yawn so much that it hurts the muscles in your face. I’ve been depressed to the point that you don’t care about anything else expect for doing drugs. And, as bad as you want to get away from it, you can’t because it’s all that’s around you.”

Gay explained that one of the biggest problems with Fentanyl is that the build-up created by consistent use goes away very quickly. This means that a user who builds up to two or 10 pills a day, then goes without for a few days and tries to immediately go back to two or 10 a day will no longer have that minimal resistance. The user will overdose and likely die. The same risks exist for unsuspecting users who take drugs that are laced with Fentanyl. “This needs to be taken seriously,” said Constable Brown, “and that’s why presentations like this and parents coming out and educating themselves is so important.”

To learn more about the dangers of Fentanyl and what you can do to educate yourself and your children, please visit www.albertahealthservices.ca and search Fentanyl. Education is the key.