More young people are dying from toxic drugs, warns chief medical examiner
RCMP held a press conference on drug toxicity in St. John's Wednesday
Teenagers as young as 14 years old are dying from drug overdoses in recent "gut-wrenching" incidents, says Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical examiner.
Dr. Nash Denic joined the RCMP in a press conference Wednesday. Cocaine is now the leading drug responsible for overdose deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador, according to the RCMP.
It comes a day after CBC News published a months-long investigation exposing the province's deadly cocaine problem and tracking the drugs from Colombia to Canada, and eventually to Labrador communities.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported 61 drug-related deaths in the province last year, 34 of them from cocaine. CBC News has reported deaths from cocaine have spiked since 2014.
"The drugs currently on the market cannot be trusted," Denic said, referring both to cocaine and counterfeit drugs that have gained popularity among young people recently.
Some of those substances include pressed pills made of bromazolam, methamphetamine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy, disguised as Xanax; as well as fake Dilaudid composed of protonitazine, a synthetic opioid over 20 times more potent than fentanyl.
"If you can just imagine, imagine the two grains of salt-size fentanyl is enough to produce death in individuals, you can only imagine how much you need of the new opioid," said Denic.
Denic also told reporters some youth are trying drugs at a very young age, so they wouldn't have any built-up tolerance. Even if they did, Denic says, new opioids such as nitazenes — which are sometimes cut into other drugs — are extremely toxic.
He says the individuals who recently died from counterfeit drugs were younger than 20 years old. The youngest recent victim is 14 years old, Denic said.
"You never know which line is going to kill you," he said, going back to the topic of cocaine.
Overdose symptoms
Jane Henderson, a harm reduction consultant with Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, says harm reduction is an evidence-based approach that recognizes substance use is part of our communities and aims to reduce the consequences associated with it.
Henderson added the Good Samaritan Act legally protects people who seek emergency help during an overdose.
"Overdoses can happen to anyone," she said, and knowing the signs can save a life.
Signs may include:
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Slow or no breathing,
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Blue lips or fingertips,
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Choking and gurgling sounds,
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Unresponsiveness.
In the case of an opioid overdose, naloxone may help before emergency services arrive. Naloxone kits are free and readily available across the province, says Henderson.
Naloxone does not work for cocaine overdoses.
"To those of you who are using drugs, your life matters. You deserve safety, dignity and support," said Henderson.
"We understand that when abstinence is not realistic, there are ways for you to stay safer."
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With files from Ryan Cooke