Alberta slow to react to sharp rise in fentanyl deaths, critics say

A synthetic opiate 100  times more powerful than morphine killed 145 people in Alberta in the first six months of this year.

Thirty-six of those deaths were reported in and around the Edmonton area.

"We are very concerned over the amount of fentanyl we are seeing on the streets," said Det. Guy Pilon of the Edmonton police drug unit.

Alberta's death toll from the powerful drug has risen sharply since 2011.

• 2011 – 6
• 2012 – 29
• 2013 – 66
• 2014 – 120
• 2015 (to the end of June) 145

Critics say the province has been too slow to react.

"I think that everyone's coming late to the table, and I think that this was a problem that was simmering for a long time," said Marliss Taylor of Street Works, a community outreach centre in Edmonton.

"But I guess onwards and upwards now, and let's hopefully save as many lives as we can."

The killer drug is taking a toll in big cities and small towns and on First Nations reserves.

One problem, experts say, is that the drug is often manufactured in underground labs, so users have no way to tell exactly what they're taking.

"Any drug that isn't a pharmaceutical is scary," Taylor said, "because you never know how strong it is, who's been involved in making it, how much you need in order to get the effect that you want without overdosing.

"Because fentanyl can be so incredibly strong, it is frightening, because folks that we're seeing don't know what they're getting when they buy it."

In pills sold on the streets, fentanyl is often cut with other binding agents, Pilon said.

"So users often don't have any idea what they are ingesting or even at what potency … which in many cases can be lethal." 

There is an antidote. A drug called Naloxone is used to treat the symptoms of opioid overdoses.

Alberta Health Minister Sarah Hoffman said the government is funding a pilot project to make it more accessible.

"I hope that there are a lot of conversations happening with parents and children and other members of our community right now," Hoffman said.

Fentanyl deaths reported by the Alberta medical examiner's office between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2015:

• North Zone: 39
• Edmonton Zone: 36
• Central Zone: 19
• Calgary Zone: 45
• South Zone: 6
• Total: 145

Total fentanyl deaths in Alberta in 2014:

• North Zone: 29
• Edmonton Zone: 38
• Central Zone: 13
• Calgary Zone: 29
• South Zone: 11
• Total: 120