P.E.I. RCMP have new weapon in war on fentanyl

The RCMP on P.E.I. now have a new weapon to fight against opioid overdose.

As part of a national initiative, officers are now required to carry noloxone, a drug used to slow the symptoms of an overdose to any opioid by blocking the body's receptors. Right now, some officers have but the drug is on back order said Cpl. Andy Cook with P.E.I. RCMP.

"The plan is eventually for everyone to carry it like any other type of kit on our belt."

The brand the RCMP is using is Narcan — a nasal spray that is easy to use. Members had to go through an online training course to learn how to administer it, and also how to recognize the signs of overdose.

"It's a mister, so basically we can place it in the nose, the nostrils and it's got a little pump on it," Cook said

Carrying the drug is important to protect citizens, but also for the officers' protection because fentanyl is a whole new ball game in the drug world, Cook said. 

You stop a car on the side of the road out in the middle of nowhere you'd be dead- Andy Cook

"Fentanyl is an extremely dangerous drug, it's 100 times stronger than morphine. You can absorb it through your skin — two milligrams is an overdose in an adult human, so it doesn't surprise me. I think it's a good step to take — you can't be too safe," he said.

"If you didn't have it and you're in a remote area which is, speaking for the RCMP especially a lot of our officers work in remote areas, and if you didn't have it available to you and you overdosed on fentanyl, you stop a car on the side of the road out in the middle of nowhere, you'd be dead."
 
Cook said the way fentanyl can be masked in other drugs makes it difficult for officers during a seizure situation. 

"That powder that maybe I would have processed without a mask a year, two years ago, I won't touch now without the proper safety equipment. We're to the point now where we are actually going to buy an ion scanner to be able to test these things safely and be able to tell what they are for sure."

Right now, the RCMP is the only police force requiring all officers carry noloxone.

The Charlottetown Police Services said they currently don't have a plan, but are reviewing things.

Summerside police said they are in the process of getting kits and setting up training for their officers.

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