Warning for users: Several overdoses tied to 2 batches of street drugs sold in B.C.'s Interior
Health officials are warning users to be cautious after several overdoses in the last week due to one particular substance.
Staff at B.C.'s Interior Health warned those in the region that the substance being sold as "down" comes with a high risk of drug poisoning (overdose). Long periods of unconsciousness have also been connected to the batch of down.
Down, also called "purple" or "yellow," is a name given to a dangerous mix of substances including the opioid fentanyl.
A version that became common in Winnipeg and Northern Ontario in 2020 combined fentanyl and heroin, and at the time had overtaken meth as one of the most popular street drugs in the area. Its spread was in part due to COVID-19 border closures.
The substance that is the subject of one of the warnings in the Interior is a mix of fentanyl and benzodiazepines (benzos), officials said, but it may contain the ultra-potent carfentanil, an even stronger analogue of fentanyl, as well as other drugs.
In the warning issued Thursday for the Kelowna area, officials describe the substance sold as down as "purple chunks with a chalky texture."
Interior Health urges users to get their drugs checked whether smoking, snorting or injecting them, and to avoid using alone.
The authority issued another warning the same day for those near Penticton, where another patch of down – this time "light green chunk" – has a high risk of overdose.
Officials warned it also may cause long periods of unconsciousness or sleepiness, and that with this substance, memory loss is possible.
The green substance contains high amounts of fentanyl, Interior Health's warning said, and may also contain benzos.
Benzos are depressants that slow brain activity, health officials have said in previous warnings. When combined with opioids, there's a much higher risk of overdose, as the benzos can slow the body's response to medication used to block the effects of opioid overdose.
Additionally, drugs cut with benzos may make a user "difficult to rouse," or keep them unconscious during life-saving efforts such as the use of naloxone.
There's been a noted increase in the presence of benzodiazepines in recent data collected on fatal overdoses in B.C. Information collected by the B.C. Coroners Service and presented in June looked at the increasing toxicity of the local support and found benzos were present in 57 per cent of samples in April, compared to just 15 per cent the previous July.
Even more concerning is that the number of deaths involving "extreme fentanyl concentrations" continues to rise in the province.
By the time 10 months of data was collected, 2021 was already the deadliest year in the province's history in terms of illicit drug overdose. That was before the coroners service had analyzed information collected in the months of November and December.
At that point, 1,782 people had died.
Another startling statistic broke things down by day. B.C. paramedics said they were called to almost 100 overdoses each day last year, for a total of 35,525 calls - an increase of 31 per cent over 2020.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women in Winnipeg, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.