Police issue public health warning after more fentanyl stolen
Posted August 28, 2015 9:39 am.
Last Updated August 28, 2015 11:25 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto police have issued another warning after more fentanyl was stolen, this time from a business near Queen and Church streets.
The theft happened around noon on Thursday, just 10 days after police held a news conference warning of the “devastating impact” of the synthetic painkiller.
The theft is a “significant risk to public safety,” Det. Sgt. Mike Richmond said at police headquarters on Friday.
The break-in at the pharmacy was targeted, he said, and nothing else was stolen.
Richmond said 40 patches were stolen. It looks very similar to a nicotine patch, he said, with residue on one side. It looks like a Bandaid on the other. Anyone who finds it is asked to call police immediately, and not handle the medication.
Fentanyl, which is typically prescribed for chronic pain, has become a popular mixing agent for drugs like cocaine, heroin or oxycontin, because fentanyl increases the effects of the drug.
It’s especially dangerous because in many cases, users aren’t made aware that their drugs have been laced with the synthetic opioid.
Fentanyl is described as 40 times more potent than heroin, and 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine.
It can also be fatal. According to the Canadian Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use, there have been 655 deaths attributed to fentanyl between 2009 and 2014.
Symptoms of fentanyl overdose include dizziness, seizures, drowsiness, nausea and unconsciousness. Treatment can only be administered by medical personnel.
Earlier this month, fentanyl patches were stolen from a car in North York. Durham police believe it has also led to one overdose.
