Masset RCMP are warning that high-potency fentanyl is circulating on Haida Gwaii after a young woman died of an overdose last week.
The RCMP said they are aware that fentanyl mixed with crack cocaine is being sold on island, and that there were several more overdoses in recent weeks that did not kill anyone.
The strength of fentanyl can vary a lot, and it’s hard to know how strong a dose will be, said a Masset RCMP press release posted June 14.
“Even if you have bought it from the same dealer and it looks the same, it may not be,” the release said.
Given that fentanyl is being sold on Haida Gwaii, police reminded people who use street drugs to never use alone and to carry Narcan, which can reverse a fentanyl overdose. Anyone who receives Narcan is recommended to seek medical care afterwards.
Masset RCMP said that anyone who sees someone who they think may be overdosing can call BC Ambulance (1-800-461-9911), the Masset RCMP (250-626-3991), or the Daajing Giids RCMP (250-559-4421).
Harm reduction kits, including drug-testing kits, are available through Northern Health and the First Nation Health Authority, including the Niislaa Naay Healing House. The Toward the Heart provincial reduction program provides four locations to access Narcan in Masset.
According to the B.C. Coroner’s Service, an estimated 225,000 people use unregulated drugs in B.C.
Toxic drugs like the ones the Masset RCMP are warning about place drug users at a high risk of death.
The provincial government declared the crisis of fentanyl and other opioid drug overdoses a public-health emergency in 2016.
Overdose deaths in B.C. rose from about 200 a year in 2010 to over 2,500 in 2023, a new record.
This April, there were a suspected 182 deaths due to unregulated drugs in B.C., a 24 per cent decrease from April 2023, when there were 239.
So far this year, 763 people are thought to have died from overdoses of unregulated drugs. A large percentage are men between the ages of 30 and 59.
The B.C. Coroner’s Service also reports that in Northern B.C., 79 per cent of what are suspected to be unregulated drug deaths involved fentanyl.
Health Link B.C. runs the Alcohol & Drug Information Referral Service (ADIRS), which provides free, confidential information and referral services to people who need support with any kind of substance use issue, including alcohol and other drugs.
To speak with someone about a referral, call ADIRS at 1-800-663-1441.