{"id":36506,"date":"2021-02-03T10:46:38","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T15:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/?p=36506"},"modified":"2021-02-03T12:09:36","modified_gmt":"2021-02-03T17:09:36","slug":"fentanyl-like-drugs-circulating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/fentanyl-like-drugs-circulating\/","title":{"rendered":"Fentanyl-like drugs circulating in local drug supply"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Nova Scotia RCMP have\u00a0issued a warning\u00a0<\/a>about a new drug found being transported into Nova Scotia from New Brunswick.<\/p>\n

Small quantities of pills and powder were originally seized on Nov. 26 and sent to Health Canada for testing, where it was determined they contain isotonitazene, also known as \"iso.\"<\/p>\n

Isotonitazene is described as a highly potent synthetic opioid, similar to, but more powerful than fentanyl.<\/p>\n

The RCMP described the drugs containing isotonitazene as a purple powder, and white triangular shaped pills with the letter \"M\" stamped on one side, and the number 8 on the other. The pills have been manufactured to look like the prescription opioid Dilaudid.<\/p>\n

The new drug is extremely dangerous, says Debby Warren, executive director of frontline harm reduction organization Ensemble Moncton<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very similar to fentanyl,\u201d says Warren. And like fentanyl, isotonitazene can be found in \u201cShady 8\u201d, which is pressed to look similar to Dilaudid.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can have either [isotonitazene] and\/or fentanyl in it,\u201d says Warren. \u201cWe do know it\u2019s a very strong drug. Normally when people are being administered naloxone with an overdose, one to two injections will address it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in the case of one recent overdose local to Moncton, four injections of naloxone were required to reverse the overdose, says Warren.<\/p>\n

Ensemble Moncton clients are frightened of what could be in the drugs available to them, says Warren, but are compelled to use because they will become extremely ill if they don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody wants to die, right? They\u2019re very terrified about the quality of the drugs that they have access to,\u201d says Warren.<\/p>\n

Ensemble\u2019s demand for Naloxone kits has grown rapidly in the last month or two, says Warren, to the point where its hard to keep up with demand. To make matters worse, the kits come with two shots of naloxone, which may not be enough to revive someone who overdosed with isotonitazene.<\/p>\n

Warren says what\u2019s needed is access to a safe drug supply for people suffering from addictions disorder.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have very sick people with a complex health issue,\u201d says Warren. \u201cAnd we don\u2019t have a safe drug supply for them. We don\u2019t have adequate treatment services for them. And on top of that, we have an underground drug supply that is gone awry, and we don\u2019t know what\u2019s in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Warren says people with addictions disorder, who are at risk of encountering drugs like isotonitazene, are part of our communities. \u201cPeople choose to want to sweep them under the carpet,\u201d says Warren, \u201cbut they\u2019re not being beamed in from anywhere. They\u2019re New Brunswickers, Monctonians, and Sackville folks\u2026 and they deserve to have empathy and an understanding of how complex this disease is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadly, Warren says the seizure of drugs won\u2019t really reduce the use of uncontrolled and possibly dangerous opioids like isotonitazene.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately it doesn\u2019t,\u201d she says. \u201cThey\u2019re just desperate. They\u2019ll find it somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople say, well, we have a task force, we\u2019ll stop the pushers,\u201d says Warren. \u201cWell, you know what? How about let\u2019s just address the trauma in people\u2019s lives? Let\u2019s address the mental health issues. Let\u2019s address poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hear this story as reported on\u00a0Tantramar Report<\/a>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\nhttps:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Fentanyl-like-drug-Feb-3-2021.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Nova Scotia RCMP have\u00a0issued a warning\u00a0about a new drug found being transported into Nova Scotia from New Brunswick. Small quantities of pills and powder were originally seized on Nov. 26 and sent to Health Canada for testing, where it was determined they contain isotonitazene, also known as “iso.” Isotonitazene is described as a highly…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":36521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[57,223],"tags":[4319,2534,5652,5651,525],"radio":[227],"origine":[274,275,277],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36506"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36506"},{"taxonomy":"radio","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/radio?post=36506"},{"taxonomy":"origine","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/origine?post=36506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}