Why does Asian Carp make Trump think of Mark Carney?
Murray Wood ponders the question raised after Donald Trump insulted the Prime Minister in the middle of a random social ...
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health says dangerous drugs circulating in Saskatoon may contain fentanyl, a sedative known as medetomidine and “other unknown substances.”
The ministry said Prairie Harm Reduction, a supervised drug consumption site, reported six overdoses between Monday and Wednesday, and the drug users required multiple doses of naloxone – a nasal spray that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opiate overdose – in order to revive them.
Read more:
- Drug alert issued in Punnichy area after five overdoses, including one fatality
- Past the numbers: Overdose deaths down, overdoses up in parts of Sask.
- Microbiologist calls Pizza Pop recall ‘serious,’ encourages public to report symptoms
“Individuals experienced heavy sleeping, difficulty breathing, and in some cases medical intervention, including oxygen was required,” the ministry said in a statement.
The drugs, which were sold as fentanyl in some cases, can be inhaled or injected, and the ministry noted that one sample contained a “dark blue pebble.”
“While a direct link to the reported overdoses is unknown, one sample confirmed presence of fentanyl and medetomidine,” the health ministry explained in a statement.
“Medetomidine is a sedative increasingly found in opioids which can cause a dangerously low heart rate, slowed breathing, changes to blood pressure and can result in prolonged sedation.”
The ministry issued a dangerous drug and overdose alert for the city as a result of the string of overdoses, warning that there is a “high risk of overdose and death.” The alert is to remain in effect until Wednesday.
While using illegal drugs always poses serious health risks, the ministry said some the danger can be “reduced, but not eliminated” by getting a take-home naloxone kit, calling the National Overdose Response Service and using drug-checking supplies or services.
“The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act protects individuals who seek emergency help during an overdose or who witness an overdose,” the ministry noted.
“If someone is overdosing, please call 911 immediately.”
The ministry also issued a drug alert for the Punnichy area, northeast of Regina, this week. That alert followed a string of five overdoses, including one fatality.
“Fentanyl was suspected,” the ministry noted in a statement.
