Concern for recreational drug users at Pemberton Music Festival
Posted July 15, 2016 2:03 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
PEMBERTON (NEWS 1130) – The number of overdoses in this province continues to go up and that is cause for concern for anyone taking recreational drugs at the Pemberton Music Festival which is underway.
It’s also prompting a warning from BC’s health minister. Terry Lake worries people are taking drugs, but they don’t know what’s in them. Meantime, something they think looks familiar could be cut with fentanyl or W-18 — two very powerful opioids.
He adds mixing drugs can also be deadly. “Not to mix drugs and alcohol and also to be aware that the ingestion of drugs can take a time before you feel the onset, so not to repeat the dose if you’re not feeling it when you think you should.”
He wants people up there to be armed with Naloxone–which, if taken quickly, can help fight the effects of a fentanyl-related overdose. “And to make sure you have people around you that are aware and that can be helpful for you if you need help. I can’t say this enough that people should be very aware, they should be responsible and make sure they’re not putting themselves in harm’s way.”
Lake says Vancouver Coastal Health is aware of the concerns and will have resources on hand.
The organizers have also hired a special group that offers support for anyone who is thinking about taking drugs.
According to the Coroner, the total number of overdose deaths from June was 56 and there have been more than 370 between January and June. That’s up nearly 75 per cent from the same time last year.
