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
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.