Teens think fentanyl pills 'not as scary' as heroin, says Calgary addiction counsellor
Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre says young people experimenting with prescription drugs more than ever
Young people these days are more likely to experiment with fentanyl than illegal drugs like heroin, according to a Calgary addictions counsellor.
"Some of the more illicit drugs are perceived as scarier, whereas the prescription drugs are legal. People think it's OK to use them. They're not as scary," said Janice Copeland, director of clinical services at the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre (AARC).
Copeland says she started noticing a spike in fentanyl use among Alberta teenagers about two years ago.
"We see a lot of people in the party scene — with their friends, experimenting. And we hear stories of kids coming close or having symptoms of overdoses and not seeking treatment for it because they don't want to get in trouble."
Kids like 18-year-old Anthony Hampton, who suffered permanent brain damage after unknowingly taking fentanyl in July.
The Calgary teen`s story has been shared thousands of times on social media after his father, CTV journalist Reg Hampton, wrote a post about the incident on Facebook.
- Fentanyl overdose that almost killed Calgary teen becomes stark warning on social media
- Fentanyl-related overdose deaths spike across Canada
Including pending cases, between 2011 and 2014 the number of fentanyl-related deaths in Alberta increased almost 20-fold, according to new research from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.
In response, this summer Alberta Health Services launched a province-wide project, handing out take-home Naloxone kits to people at risk. The drug can reverse the effects of a fentanyl overdose.
Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, says Copeland. which makes the withdrawal experience "really extreme."
"So their likelihood to seek out the drug and alleviate those withdrawal symptoms is quite high," she said. "We also know that people who are dealing drugs are going to mix things to make their drugs more addictive."