Fentanyl addiction in Canada has already killed hundreds in
the recent years but experts are boldly predicting that 2017 could be a much
deadlier year for fentanyl addicts. In Vancouver alone, firefighters have
shifted from primarily putting out fires to saving residents who are in danger
of fentanyl overdose particularly bootleg fentanyl. Based on reports from an
online news portal in Canada, the Downtown Eastside firefighters in Vancouver
responded to a total of 1,255 calls in relation to overdose cases in November
2016. The skyrocketing figure is not slowing down a bit.
Fentanyl Addiction in
Canadian Metros
The ground zero for opioid abuse and addiction particularly
fentanyl is British Columbia. The province has already recorded 622
unintentional overdose tragedies and deaths from illegal drugs in the initial
10 months of 2016. Of the reported deaths, half or 332 have been linked to
bootleg fentanyl, a synthetic opiate derivative which is 100 times stronger and
more potent than morphine.
Despite the continuous devastation of fentanyl to
Canadian communities, medical experts, as
well as first responders, warn of an increase in the opioid overdose in
2017. Authorities have confirmed that the spread of bootleg fentanyl has begun moving eastward across Canada. A public
health emergency in British Columbia has already been declared and this is
rooted from an alarming increase in the reports of overdose-related deaths.
Life-saving drugs such as naxolone are
the first aid remedy for opioid overdose and B.C. first responders and
firefighters are now well-equipped to deliver them when the need arises.
Surging Fentanyl
Overdoses Shatter Canadian Families
The overdose death trend is taking its toll and numerous
families are hit especially in Alberta where 338 residents have died due to
opioid overdose. Out of these deaths, 193 have been attributed to Fentanyl
overdose and these occurrences happen between January and October of 2016. There
are heartbreaking stories from coast to coast, leaving families shattered,
children orphaned, and parents burying their child due to tragic overdose from
this synthetic drug. There are also reported deaths in Ontario, Toronto, and
Manitoba, among many other locations in the country.
According to loved ones of those who died from fentanyl
overdose, this opiate derivative does not discriminate. Once you are exposed to
the drug in a higher dosage, you are surely going to feel the backlash of
overdose and most of the time, it doesn’t end well. It doesn’t really matter
how old you are, what gender you are, what setting or status you are in. Fentanyl
can kill you and the most dangerous truth about it is that it can kill even
those who are not addicted to the drug. Fentanyl comes in various forms such as
a lollipop and skin patch which could make the drug easily absorbed in your
system.
Fentanyl addiction is becoming a rampant and alarming
issue in Canada then and now. Various drug rehab treatment facilities are
reinforcing their methods especially in countering the dangerous effects of
fentanyl and preventing fentanyl-related overdoses. Find a rehab center to stop
addiction now.
