By Spencer Sterritt

Carfentanil appearance in Nanaimo a ‘game changer’

Feb 9, 2017 | 11:18 AM

NANAIMO — The fight against drugs in Nanaimo just became more difficult.

RCMP confirmed the opioid carfentanil, which is a derivative of fentanyl and is 100 times more powerful, was discovered as part of an investigation.

Charmaine Enns, a medical health officer with Island Health, told NanaimoNewsNOW the arrival of the powerful drug is a “game changer” for them.

“With knowing it’s here, it does up the ante for what’s at stake for people who are using illicit drugs,” she said. “You only need one or two grains of carfentanil cut into another drug to make it a lethal dose. You can’t see it, taste it, smell it or detect it.”

Carfentanil is primarily used as an elephant tranquilizer. It first appeared in the mainland several months ago and has been seized across the country.

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City councillor and addictions advocate Gord Fuller said it’s easy to mix into other drugs and cheap as well, to the point of making already cheap drugs such as crystal meth look like a “rich persons’ drug.”

“The cheaper the drug, the more highly addictive, the more you can throw it into other drugs, the more money you can make,” he said. “And if people die on the way, who cares because there’s always going to be more people getting addicted to it.”

Since the opioids are so addictive, Fuller said he’s seen it infiltrate all levels of the drug trade, and has heard of it being found in marijuana on the mainland.

Naloxone kits, which were circulated to prevent fentanyl overdoses, are still crucial to preventing death but Enns said now even more will need to be administered. Before, three to four ampoules of naloxone would be used to bring someone out of an overdose.

Now you’ll need to use between 10 and 20 ampoules to save someone who overdosed because of carfentanil.

There’s no discernible difference between a carfentanil overdose and a fentanyl overdose.

Both Enns and Fuller touted overdose prevention sites as a crucial way to prevent death and the spread of the drug.

“We’re all working quite feverishly and maxed out to get the services in place that need to be there,” Enns said.

Fuller said it was ironic he was involved in establishing Nanaimo’s first safe injection site because he wouldn’t have dreamed of advocating for it a few years ago.

He said seeing the damage done by the drug changed his mind.

“We had seven overdoses in just over a month, all of them brought back. That’s seven people who likely would have used on their own and had they overdosed on their own would have been dead.”

Getting into treatment, whether it be rehab or detox, is now even more important.

Fuller said he’s heard from those using the safe injection site, including one person who overdosed, the waiting period for treatment is several weeks.

“Two, three years ago they could have waited a few weeks and used heroin and the likelihood of drying would have been slim and they would have gone to treatment,” he said. “Now they’re playing Russian roulette.”

Nanaimo’s permanent overdose prevention site opened at the end of January. It’s located at 437 Wesley St.   

spencer.sterritt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit