Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jul 2013
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2013 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Sunny Dhillon
Page: 4

RCMP WARN OF SURGE OF HEROIN OVERDOSES AFTER MONTEITH DEATH

One day after an autopsy confirmed Glee star Cory Monteith died of a
toxic mix of heroin and alcohol, police in Abbotsford, east of
Vancouver, warned of a surge of overdoses in their city.

While the Vancouver-area drug market has long drawn considerable
attention, the focus has typically been on marijuana, not heroin, a
"point" or one-tenth of a gram of which can run for about $10.

Police in Abbotsford - the Fraser Valley community that was sued
earlier this year by a group of injection drug users for banning
harm-reduction services - were so alarmed by the surge that they
purchased a drug sample so they could send it off for testing. The
results are not in yet, but with overdose calls up by as much as 39
per cent, the department felt it had no choice but to step in and
issue the warning. Police say the alert is not linked to Mr.
Monteith's death.

"If you shoot heroin, be aware of the toxic grade heroin that is
currently circulating and reduce your amount," Constable Ian
MacDonald, the Abbotsford police spokesman, said Wednesday. "Using the
same dose of toxic grade heroin can increase the risk of respiratory
failure, overdose and death."

Constable MacDonald said front-line officers have heard from numerous
people on the street who are concerned about the potency of the heroin
currently on the market. The department has seen at least eight heroin
overdoses since mid-May, one of which was fatal. He said one
explanation could be the presence of fentanyl in the drugs. The B.C.
Coroners Service said toxicology results have not shown any presence
of fentanyl in Mr. Monteith's system when he died.

B.C.'s provincial health officer issued a bulletin in late May
advising physicians, first responders, and other health care workers
to watch for overdoses associated with fentanyl, an opioid that can
look similar to heroin but is several times stronger. The bulletin
said 23 deaths related to fentanyl were recorded in the first four
months of 2013, compared to 20 in 2012.

Dr. Perry Kendall, the health officer, said in an interview Wednesday
that the May bulletin appeared to work - the overdoses decreased.

"Abbotsford may just be the first wave of another batch of this stuff
being out on the streets; it's really hard to know," he said.

Darwin Fisher, the co-ordinator at Insite, Vancouver's supervised
injection site, said the facility did not see an increase in overdoses
before the May bulletin, nor after.

Speaking of Mr. Monteith's case, Mr. Fisher said mixing substances
greatly amplifies the risk.
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