As the province sees the fentanyl crisis grow the Justice Institute of B.C offered a two-day workshop to local first responders starting Thursday in Prince George, as well as three other locations in B.C. including Kelowna, New Westminster and Nanaimo.
There has been a provincial public health emergency declared because of accidental overdose deaths related to the powerful synthetic opioid that comes in a variety of strengths.
On the street currently is a drug called carfentanyl, which is 10,000 times stronger than morphine, where fentanyl is about 100 times more potent.
Police officers, paramedics and firefighters were instructed during the first day of the workshop on how to identify and safely handle fentanyl and offered insight into the dangers of the drug.
Today, police and public safety investigators will be advised on drug trafficking, the resulting investigations and strategies on how to prosecute. In B.C. apparent overdose deaths from illicit drugs in which fentanyl was detected accounted for 62 per cent in 2016 while in 2012 the number was at four per cent.
In March 2017 in B.C. there were 120 suspected drug overdose deaths, while in March 2016 there were only 79.
Compared to last year, there was more than a 50 per cent increase in overdose deaths due to illicit drug use.
