Two teens are latest victims of suspected fentanyl overdose
Posted August 2, 2015 9:44 pm.
Last Updated August 2, 2015 10:35 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A teenager is near death after a suspected fentanyl overdose.
A 17-year-old and a 16-year-old were found unconscious in a Vancouver park Saturday night. The 17-year-old is now on life support. The other teen is recovering.
Vancouver Police say the two bought and consumed fake oxycontin known as ‘Fake 80s.’ They are sold as green pills with the number 80 on them.
BC’s Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall says fentanyl is one hundred times more potent than morphine or heroin. He says street drugs can be laced with substances like fentanyl and warns if you buy drugs off the street you don’t know what you’re getting.
“If you’re going to do that then use extreme caution, have somebody with you, and don’t hesitate to call 9-1-1 if you get symptoms of an overdose, if somebody starts losing consciousness, has slurry speech, can’t stand up, and doesn’t respond,” explains Kendall.
Kendall has seen around 350 overdoses in 2014, with fentanyl linked to 80 fatal cases this year.
Brian Gross with Impact Youth and Family Substance Use Services says “Oxy,” as many call it, is growing in popularity among teens. It’s a prescription pain killer which can make it easier to access.
“That drug may be what they have available to them whereas they might not have other drugs available. The other thing is that some kids are risk takers,” says Gross, who expects things to get worse.
He believes prevention shouldn’t just be about talking to your kids about abstinence, but should include the reality of how unsafe it can be when you don’t know what’s really in pills.
“I mean, I think we should assume that this is going to be an ongoing and possibly growing problem and therefore we need to talk about it with youth.”
He notes people tend to hype up long weekends which can often lead to teens taking more risks.
Fentanyl has been linked to other recent overdose deaths in the Lower Mainland. North Vancouver parents of a two-year-old overdosed and died from fentanyl last month. Just last week, New Westminster police reported a death likely attributed to fentanyl.
