Following two more drug related deaths in Regina, the Saskatchewan Coroners Service is urging the public to be aware of the dangers of illicit or street drugs in the province.
Chief Coroner Clive Weighill held a conference today saying they requested an expedited toxicology test on the individuals. “It’s come back with a highly lethal amount of fentanyl and methamphetamine, we’re concerned that it’s a bad bunch of drugs that’s in there right now. We want to warn the people of Regina and the surrounding area to be careful of what you’re buying. We know people are going to buy illicit drugs, there’s no use in hiding our head in the sand about that, but I think it’s fair that people should be warned that we know this is in the community right now and that all precautions should be taken when you’re buying any illegal drug.” Already this year the Regina police are aware of 67 non fatal drug overdoses, in addition to the two deaths. The Coroners Service wanted to make sure to warn the public as soon as deaths were involved.
With Naloxone numbers in question in Saskatchewan, Weighill says sooner or later these drugs were going to find their way into Saskatchewan.
“I think we need to be talking about it. Making sure our parents are talking to their kids about it and we need to warn people that there are these illicit drugs in our community that could cause a definite harm.” Along with fentanyl and methamphetamine another drug is being recognized in the process called Etizolam, which is a sedative. This concerns Weighill because the province hasn’t seen much of it to this point.
Weighill also expressed the importance of the Good Samaritan Act during the conference. “People can call, they don’t have to fear that the police will charge anybody in the house with a possession, they’re not going to come back the next day to investigate it. You’re clear, if you’re in a house with somebody that’s overdosed, we want you to call 911, we want to get that person help, and the police will not lay charges for possession for the other people that are in that house.”
Government officials advise that at risk Saskatchewan residents are eligible for a free Take Home Naloxone kit and training on how to use it. However, the need to call 911 immediately if there is a suspected overdose is not to be replaced by the effects of Naloxone. More information on the kits can be found here, or by calling HealthLine 811
Saskatoon has seen its share of issues with illicit drugs with combinations of fentanyl and meth in the past. Over the course of one weekend in March 2018, police responded to drug overdoses with what they believed were people overdosing on cocaine laced with fentanyl. Police went so far, as the investigation continued, to issue a public warning as well as releasing the street name and phone number of a Lil Joe or Joe Bro, who they believed were selling the fentanyl laced cocaine. In February 2019, for the first time ever in Saskatchewan, three people were charged with manslaughter in connection to the overdoses from March 2018.
In September of last year, Saskatoon Police believed fentanyl was behind five overdoses in a 30 hour period. One woman died.
