Saskatoon doctor says parents can help prevent fentanyl deaths

An expert on mental health and addiction in Saskatoon believes parents are vital in helping to stop people from abusing the potentially deadly drug fentanyl, or fake OxyContin.

Dr. Peter Butt spoke with Saskatoon Morning's Leisha Grebinski about the risks of the street, and what can be done to stop a spike in overdoses.

Butt said prevention begins at home, with the parents.

"They need to be thinking about the message they are sending by their own example with regards to substance use: tobacco, marijuana, alcohol."

Butt said that overdoses and deaths from drugs such as heroin have long plagued Saskatoon's inner city. It's a problem, he said, that has persisted almost unnoticed by the general public or the media.

The recent spike in fentanyl overdoses and deaths is changing that.

"It's striking home in a demographic that's less marginalized, so the media is paying more attention," Butt said.

"With the fentanyl we are seeing a demographic of younger people — youth and young adults typically — in more suburban areas and also smaller areas throughout the province."

Butt also urged health officials to make sure their warnings about the dangers of fentanyl abuse are being distributed on social media, where they are more likely to reach the intended audience.