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"People need to be aware"

Recent overdoses underscore dangers of drug use
cocaine 2016
File photo

Five near-fatal overdoses last weekend in Barrie have put the dangers of recreational drug use in the spotlight, say front-line professionals.  

"At the end of the day you don't know what you're getting," said Barrie Police Const. Sarah Bamford. "That's why we're telling people consuming any type of drug there's great risk associated with that."

County of Simcoe Paramedic Services have recorded 564 overdoses so far this year.

Those numbers include alcohol overdoses or drug-alcohol combinations and are not broken down into specific categories such as types of drugs. 

If the overdosed patient fits the protocol of an opiate overdose then a drug called Narcan is given by the paramedic in the field, explains Meredith Morrison, Deputy Chief, Performance, Quality and Development with County of Simcoe Paramedic Services. 

"To date, Narcan has only been used in 32 overdose cases or 6 percent of the total overdose cases. We can’t distinguish which narcotic may have been used in these 32 cases," said Morrison. 

Morrison says the number of overdoses this year is in keeping with their 2015 overdose data.

And while fentanyl is a cross-Canada concern, Morrison is not seeing big numbers here.  

"We are certainly not seeing a rise of it in the County of Simcoe...We're not panicking."

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is hoping the recent overdoses in Barrie are not a signal of things to come.

"It's only fairly recent we've been concerned about this illicit fentanyl," said Mia Brown, public health nurse with the unit. "This would be the time we need to get the message out.  We may not have a huge number now but it doesn't mean that it's not coming."

Synthetic versions of fentanyl are being manufactured in clandestine labs in Canada and overseas, says Brown, and is highly potent.

"Even just a few grains of the illicit fentanyl powder can cause an overdose," she said.

Preliminary 2015 figures from the Office of the Chief Coroner,  subject to change once the statistical year has been completed, show 6 fentanyl toxicity deaths in Barrie and a total of eight in Simcoe County.

The Barrie numbers in the previous three years were less than five and are undisclosed as a result. 

Five young people in their 20's overdosed last weekend in Barrie after they all attended the same party at an apartment on Dunlop Street East.

Police say the party-goers drank alcohol and used cocaine believed to be mixed with another drug, possibly fentanyl.

A 22-year-old Barrie man is charged with five counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm and two counts of trafficking.

Police say the suspect was known to all five. 

The unidentified man turned himself in at Barrie Police Headquarters on Monday. 

Since early June, there have been two suspected fentanyl-related overdose deaths in Barrie, says Bamford - a 43-year old man and 22-year old man.

Police are still waiting for the coroner's report on those. 

Bamford said police are teaming up with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit on social media to create awareness and bring warnings to people who are recreational drug users. 

"It's devastating that it's happening here in our city and we are aware that it's happening across the country," said Brown. "As a public health nurse and as a parent its concerning that it's happening so close to home."

Brown says the Office of the Chief Coroner reported from 2012 to 2014 that just over 40 percent of Simcoe County opioid toxicity deaths occurred in Barrie.

That data showed the leading cause of opioid deaths in Ontario was fentanyl. 

"We definitely know there's a rise in Ontario but we don't have any specific statistics for Barrie and Simcoe County for this year yet," said Brown, citing a lag in stats. 

The Unit launched the Patch for Patch Return Program in June where patients are required to return used patches on a return record sheet to the pharmacy, before the next prescription is filled.

The Health Unit has been distributing POD kits - Prevent Opioid Death Kits - since 2014.

"People need to be aware," said Brown. "It's not just people who are using on the street.  It could be anywhere, We have to stop the stigma around what a typical person who uses drugs looks like." 


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Sue Sgambati

About the Author: Sue Sgambati

Sue has had a 30-year career in journalism working for print, radio and TV. She is a proud member of the Barrie community.
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