LONDON, Ont. — Police in London, Ont., are warning the public after learning two drug samples seized in the city have tested positive for the deadly opioid carfentanil.
They say test results from Health Canada showed the synthetic opioid — which is approximately 100 times more powerful than fentanyl or 10,000 times more powerful than morphine — was found drugs seized on Aug. 25 and Sept. 11.
Chief John Pare says there have also been 23 confirmed seizures of fentanyl in London so far this year, a 460 per cent increase from the five confirmed fentanyl cases in 2016.
It only takes an amount equivalent to a grain of salt or two milligrams of carfentanil powder to be lethal through inhalation, ingestion or absorption through the skin.
The drug can be mixed with other drugs and cannot be detected unless tested in a laboratory.
Medical officer of health Dr. Chris Mackie says the Middlesex-London Health Unit had been anticipating the increase and has expanded the distribution of the opioid antidote naloxone as well as having public consultations about supervised consumption facilities.
"This is a turning point in the local drug crisis and it's not a turn for the better," Mackie said Wednesday in a release.
"I am sad for the effect this will have on the most vulnerable people in our community; even for first time users, it's like playing Russian roulette."
The Canadian Press
