POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 87 Man found unresponsive as 'troubling' fentanyl crisis pushes east Originally published on Dec. 12, 2016 by Paul Palmeter , CBC News • A top officer with the Halifax Regional Police says he's troubled by the presence of fentanyl in the municipality after a 24-year old man who ingested the deadly drug was found unresponsive in Dartmouth. • Deputy Chief Bill Moore said police agencies across Nova Scotia are ramping up their fight against the illicit painkiller responsible for hundreds of deaths across Canada. • "The reality is there has been a bit of a wave of fentanyl coming across the country from the West Coast and yes, it's now present in our community," Moore said. • "Because it is such a strong opioid, if someone comes into contact with fentanyl and it gets into their system, it basically stops them from breathing," said Moore. • Moore said police are especially concerned that people dealing fentanyl are cutting it into other drugs, including OxyContin. • "You are getting a lot more opioid than you bargained for," said Moore. "That's what's leading to overdoses." • Nova Scotia has had at least 49 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2016. Number and rate (per 100,000 population) of accidental apparent opioid-related deaths by province or territory, 2016 and January to September 2017.1 1Not all provinces and territories reported data for all stages of investigation and all time periods (January 2016 to September 2017). Updates to previously reported data will be provided in future reports. 2The estimated annual rates for 2017 are based on available data from January to September 2017. 3Data from British Columbia and available 2017 data from Quebec (July to September) include deaths related to all illicit drugs including, but not limited to, opioids. www.canada.ca IN THE NEWS continued
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