Bootleg Fentanyl continues to pose deadly risk to our community

For immediate release

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Kingston – The dangerous and powerful drug, known as Bootleg Fentanyl, is present in the illicit drug market in the Kingston area.  The pill, patch, or powder formulations of Bootleg Fentanyl is up to 100 times more toxic than morphine, and because it is produced and distributed exclusively by an illegal market, there is no control over the drug’s purity or quality.

Bootleg Fentanyl kills people. There have been deaths from fentanyl within the Kingston, Frontenac, and Lennox & Addington area this year. In 2015, the drug was responsible for 270 deaths in Alberta, and British Columbia has declared a public health emergency in April of this year over the recent surge in opioid-overdose deaths, many from Bootleg Fentanyl.  As little as 2 milligrams of powder (approximately 2 grains of salt) of Bootleg Fentanyl can be deadly for an individual.

Bootleg Fentanyl is being incorporated into many popular street-acquired drugs, and most users are unaware of its presence. In Ontario, Bootleg Fentanyl has been detected in cocaine, heroine, and crystal meth, as well as being pressed into counterfeit prescription pills and being sold as Percocet and OxyContin.  Common street names include: Faded 80’s, K22’s, A215’s, Greenies, Green Beans, Beans, Green Apples, Apples, or Fake Oxy.

Individuals having an overdose from pain medications, such as Fentanyl, will have one or more of the following signs or symptoms:

• the person is unresponsive or doesn’t wake up easily,
• breathing is slow or not present,
• nails and lips are blue,
• the body is limp
• The person is choking or throwing up,
• The person is making gurgling or snoring sounds, and
• The skin is cold and clammy.

It is critical that 9-1-1 is called if an individual is seen to show or suspected of showing signs of overdosing.

Individuals at risk of experiencing an overdose should receive training in how to use Naloxone, a drug that can reverse the effects of an overdose. After injection, Naloxone allows time for the individual to be transported to a hospital to receive immediate medical treatment to save their life. Naloxone kits are available, free-of-charge, at Kingston Street Health Centre (115 Barrack Street,Kingston).

Additional information on Fentanyl is available at www.drugsfool.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Julia Chenier

Media and Communications Assistant

Phone: 613-549-1232, ext. 1205

Toll-Free: 1-800-267-7875

Fax: 613-549-7896

ref: PR08172016