Pubdate: Fri, 15 Jul 2016
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.theprovince.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Tiffany Crawford
Page: 13

DRUG WARNING ISSUED AHEAD OF PEMBERTON MUSIC FESTIVAL

Health workers highlight fentanyl, W-18

Party people are heading in droves to Pemberton Music Festival this
weekend, and it's a truth acknowledged that some will be on a
chemically fuelled trip, Hunter S. Thompson style.

But given B.C.'s fentanyl crisis, provincial health officer Dr. Perry
Kendall is warning festival enthusiasts that mixing drugs could be
fatal. He said health officials still don't know how much fentanyl -
or worse, W-18 - is added to some recreational party drugs like
ecstasy, cocaine and speed.

"We've seen (W-18) here but we are very limited in detecting it," he
said, adding they do know that a variety of drugs are being laced with
fentanyl, even in some cases cannabis, presumably because it adds an
extra "kick" to the potency.

The number of overdose deaths linked to fentanyl spiked in the last
year, according to a B.C. coroner's report Wednesday. The report found
in the first half of 2016, there were 371 deaths from illicit drug
overdose, an increase of 74.2 per cent from the same time period in
2015. Sixty per cent of those deaths showed fentanyl detected in
toxicology tests, either alone or, more often, in combination with
other illicit drugs.

Kendall said the B.C. Health Ministry has requested more specialized
machinery for local labs to test for opioids and the hope is that in
the future, health authorities will have a better idea of how much
fentanyl is being mixed into common street drugs.

He said the province is also making sure more first responders,
including firefighters, carry naloxone, a medication that reverses the
effects of an overdose from opioids. The province is also rolling out
the medication in pharmacies so that users or family members of users
can buy it over the counter.

For those who are determined to take drugs, Kendall advises to take
only one drug, and know the source: In other words, don't buy off
strangers in a crowd. Do not mix drugs with alcohol and don't take
more pills if one isn't working. Some drugs can take an hour to be
absorbed into the system.

While Kendall said drug kits at festivals are a good form of harm
reduction because they can detect if an opioid is present, they are
limited because they won't specify whether it's fentanyl or some other
harmful opiate-like substance such as W-18. They also won't show how
much of the opiate is in the drug.

"You are a bit safer but nothing is guaranteed," he
said.

Organizers of the Pemberton festival, Huka Entertainment, have hired
private medical service provider Rockdoc to run an on-site medical
unit, according to publicist Teresa Trovato. She said its team of
trauma doctors, nurses and first responders have been trained to
recognize fentanyl symptoms and will be equipped with naloxone.
Rockdoc declined a request for an interview.
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