Chief medical examiner's office pores over deaths in opioid fight EDMONTON - In the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner each morning, medical examiners, investigators, and morgue staff divide the stack of files containing unexplained deaths that have come in from the night before. Five years ago, this department, headquartered in a low-slung grey building in Edmonton, investigated between 1,900 to 2,000 cases a year. But in the last couple of years the caseload has jumped to between 2,500 to 2,600 annually - the bulk of that increase, officials say, is due to fentanyl and other opioid deaths. [continues 1507 words]
Alberta's justice minister says the province's law enforcement communities are having to "constantly" adapt in their efforts to combat the evolving methods of illicit drugmanufacturers. Following news that health workers have found possible fentanyl-laced stickers in Calgary and Edmonton, Kathleen Ganley said police are doing a "very good job" of staying on top of drug trends. That vigilance is key, Ganley says. "It's like this with most types of drugs, they're sort of constantly adapting to continue to try to keep those hidden and we're having to constantly adapt to continue to try to find those. We'll continue to use intelligence to move forward." [continues 83 words]
Alberta's justice minister says the province's law enforcement communities are having to "constantly" adapt in their efforts to combat the evolving methods of illicit drug manufacturers. Following news that health workers have found possible fentanyl-laced stickers in Calgary and Edmonton, Kathleen Ganley told reporters that police are doing a "very good job" of staying on top of emerging drug trends. That vigilance on the part of authorities is key, Ganley says. "It's like this with most types of drugs, they're sort of constantly adapting to continue to try to keep those hidden and we're having to constantly adapt to continue to try to find those. We'll continue to use intelligence to move forward." [continues 213 words]
Associate minister confident Ottawa will approve proposal for Beltway operation A proposed supervised drug-consumption site at the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre will receive a $1.2-million funding boost from the province, as the number of fentanyl-related overdoses in Alberta continues to mount. Associate minister of health Brandy Payne said the funds will go toward renovating the Beltline health centre that is expected to eventually house Calgary's first supervised drug-consumption site. No timeline for the facility's opening has been confirmed, but Payne said the latest data on drug deaths across the province reaffirms the need for harm-reduction services. [continues 511 words]
Police are laying fewer charges for possession of marijuana in a trend that accelerated in Alberta last year, particularly in Calgary. Alberta saw a 25 per cent drop in the rate of criminal marijuana possession in 2016 from the previous year, led in part by significant declines in Calgary for the fifth consecutive year. The downward trend began before the Liberals brought forward their plan to legalize the drug for recreational use, and those on the front lines of the judicial system say charges for simple possession are increasingly rare. [continues 320 words]
Some local residents against proposed facility, fear impact on property values Maintenance staff and volunteers at First Baptist have gotten used to finding needles and other drug paraphernalia while tidying the flower beds belonging to the historic Beltline church. "All the time. We have a lot of needles. Now we've got special devices to pick them up because it's not safe," said Jose Gongora, head of maintenance for the church. "Our volunteers are very worried and concerned because these guys use needles and just drop it everywhere." [continues 688 words]
Opioid's potency means illicit drug producers unknowingly create deadly doses More Albertans died from drug overdoses involving the powerful synthetic opioid carfentanil in the first five months of the year than in all of 2016, according to new data from the province. There were 34 overdose deaths in Alberta involving carfentanil in the first 20 weeks of 2017, surpassing the 32 deaths identified by authorities last year. Carfentanil is a potent sedative used by veterinarians to tranquilize large animals. It's approximately 100 times more toxic than fentanyl and 10,000 times more potent than morphine. [continues 415 words]
Blood Tribe battles opioid crisis In the wake of four more fentanyl overdose deaths last month, Blood Tribe leaders gathered in Stand Off on Tuesday to update band members and government officials on the opioid crisis. The cluster of overdoses comes after more than 12 months where the number of deaths from fentanyl had stabilized on the southern Alberta reserve that first declared a state of emergency in March 2015 after 30 band members died from overdoses. "We were expecting that something would happen," said Esther Tailfeathers, a doctor on the Blood reserve. "We were actually pretty surprised that we were able to keep it down for a while. So, we're doing something right, but we need to do more right things." [continues 386 words]
STAND OFF - In the wake of four more fentanyl overdose deaths last month, Blood Tribe leaders gathered Tuesday to update band members and government officials on the opioid crisis. The cluster of overdoses comes after more than 12 months where the number of deaths from fentanyl had stabilized on the southern Alberta reserve that first declared a state of emergency in March 2015 after 30 band members died from overdoses. "We were expecting that something would happen," said Esther Tailfeathers, a doctor on the Blood reserve. [continues 287 words]
More funding, data sought to help detect drug-impaired driving The Calgary Police Service wants more information and more funding for drug impairment recognition training of front-line officers before pot becomes legal in Canada. At a meeting of the Calgary police commission this week, CPS outlined the steps the service is taking following the announcement this week that the Liberal government will introduce legislation to legalize marijuana by July 1, 2018. Sgt. Richard Butler, who heads the force's alcohol and drug recognition unit, warned the legalization of the drug in other jurisdictions has been accompanied by a rise in collision rates and costs associated with policing drug-impaired drivers. [continues 333 words]
The Calgary Police Service wants more information and more funding for drug impairment recognition training for front-line officers before marijuana becomes legal in Canada. At a meeting of the Calgary police commission this week, CPS outlined the steps the service is taking following the announcement this week that the Liberal government will introduce legislation to legalize pot by July 1, 2018. Sgt. Richard Butler, who heads the force's alcohol and drug recognition unit, warned that the legalization of the drug in other jurisdictions has been accompanied by a rise in collision rates and costs associated with policing drug-impaired drivers. [continues 341 words]
Suboxone offers hope for fentanyl addicts as reserve marks period of progress Nearly every day, Darcy Medicine Crane catches a ride in a medical transport truck to a pharmacy in Stand Off, a community on the Blood reserve in southern Alberta, to take his daily dose of Suboxone. He's earned enough trust to be given "carries" - a small amount of the drug that he can administer himself at home - but said he prefers to make the 20-minute drive to the pharmacy each day. [continues 1330 words]
RCMP report success with naloxone kits While emergency medical personnel respond to the bulk of drug overdose calls, RCMP and municipal police are increasingly drawn into the fray as the opioid crisis continues to take its toll on Alberta. Postmedia has obtained preliminary data on how frequently RCMP members are administering naloxone on the job. Alberta RCMP members have administered naloxone - an antidote used to reverse the effects of fentanyl and other powerful opioids - a total of three times since officers were provided with the nasal spray kits last October. [continues 356 words]
While emergency medical personnel respond to the bulk of drug overdose calls, RCMP and municipal police are increasingly drawn into the fray as the opioid crisis continues to take its toll on Alberta. Postmedia has obtained preliminary data on how frequently RCMP members are administering naloxone on the job. Alberta RCMP members have administered naloxone - an antidote used to reverse the effects of fentanyl and other powerful opioids - a total of three times since officers were provided with the nasal spray kits last October. [continues 265 words]
While EMS and emergency medical personnel respond to the bulk of drug overdose calls, RCMP and municipal police are increasingly drawn into the fray as the opioid crisis continues to take its toll on Alberta. Postmedia has obtained preliminary data on how frequently RCMP members are administering naloxone on the job. the information comes as the Calgary Police Service prepares to roll out its own fentanyl antidote kits and naloxone training to officers starting on Feb. 28. Alberta RCMP members have administered naloxone - an antidote used to reverse the effects of fentanyl and other powerful opioids - three times since officers were provided with the nasal spray kits last October. [continues 291 words]
While EMS and emergency medical personnel respond to the bulk of drug overdose calls, RCMP and municipal police are increasingly drawn into the fray as the opioid crisis continues to take its toll on Alberta. Postmedia has obtained preliminary data on how frequently RCMP members are administering naloxone on the job. The information comes as the Calgary Police Service prepares to roll out its own fentanyl antidote kits and naloxone training to officers starting on Feb. 28. Alberta RCMP members have administered naloxone - an antidote used to reverse the effects of fentanyl and other powerful opioids - a total of three times since officers were provided with the nasal spray kits last October. [continues 297 words]
Police received almost 100 complaints Neighbours living near a well-known Coventry Hills drug house are welcoming news that the address has been shut down by court order and will be listed for sale. After more than 95 calls to police in just two years - including a violent hostage situation that rattled neighbours - the home at 71 Coventry Road N.E. has been boarded up by Alberta's Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit. "That house has been nothing but a pain in our side for years," said neighbour Dustin Formos, who lives a few doors down with his three young boys. [continues 171 words]
Expert Questions Effectiveness Alberta labour advocates say random drug testing in the oilpatch isn't the answer to making workers safer. Criticism of the tests followed the announcement Wednesday that three major oil companies will begin random drug screening of workers as part of an industry pilot project this fall. Oil giants Suncor Energy, Total E&P Canada and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. have all signed onto the Drug and Alcohol Risk Reduction Pilot Project, due to begin this fall. While most oil companies already use some form of screening, the project hopes to prove that random testing will significantly deter substance abuse in the workplace. [continues 478 words]
Far from creating the euphoria users are looking for, the rave drug is bringing despair, and in too many cases, death Even after nurses told Camille McDonald that her friend was dead, she was still too high on drugs for the grim news to penetrate her fog. Pumped full of Valium to slow her racing heart, and still feeling the effects of the drugs she'd taken hours earlier, the 21-yearold couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I was high. The whole situation was just so unreal," McDonald said. "I was waiting for Brandon to come in the door. I didn't think once that he was not going to make it." [continues 1057 words]
Even after nurses told Camille Mcdonald that her friend was dead, she was still too high on drugs for the grim news to penetrate her fog. Pumped full of Valium to slow her racing heart, and still feeling the effects of the drugs she had taken hours earlier, the 21-year-old couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I was high. The whole situation was just so unreal," Mcdonald said. "I was waiting for Brandon to come in the door. I didn't think once that he was not going to make it." [continues 868 words]
