Fentanyl addiction in Canada has already killed hundreds in the recent years but experts are boldly predicting that 2017 could be a much deadlier year for fentanyl addicts. In Vancouver alone, firefighters have shifted from primarily putting out fires to saving residents who are in danger of fentanyl overdose particularly bootleg fentanyl. Based on reports from an online news portal in Canada, the Downtown Eastside firefighters in Vancouver responded to a total of 1,255 calls in relation to overdose cases in November 2016. The skyrocketing figure is not slowing down a bit.

Fentanyl Addiction in Canadian Metros

The ground zero for opioid abuse and addiction particularly fentanyl is British Columbia. The province has already recorded 622 unintentional overdose tragedies and deaths from illegal drugs in the initial 10 months of 2016. Of the reported deaths, half or 332 have been linked to bootleg fentanyl, a synthetic opiate derivative which is 100 times stronger and more potent than morphine.

Despite the continuous devastation of fentanyl to Canadian communities, medical experts, as well as first responders, warn of an increase in the opioid overdose in 2017. Authorities have confirmed that the spread of bootleg fentanyl has begun moving eastward across Canada. A public health emergency in British Columbia has already been declared and this is rooted from an alarming increase in the reports of overdose-related deaths. Life-saving drugs such as naxolone are the first aid remedy for opioid overdose and B.C. first responders and firefighters are now well-equipped to deliver them when the need arises.

Surging Fentanyl Overdoses Shatter Canadian Families

The overdose death trend is taking its toll and numerous families are hit especially in Alberta where 338 residents have died due to opioid overdose. Out of these deaths, 193 have been attributed to Fentanyl overdose and these occurrences happen between January and October of 2016. There are heartbreaking stories from coast to coast, leaving families shattered, children orphaned, and parents burying their child due to tragic overdose from this synthetic drug. There are also reported deaths in Ontario, Toronto, and Manitoba, among many other locations in the country.

According to loved ones of those who died from fentanyl overdose, this opiate derivative does not discriminate. Once you are exposed to the drug in a higher dosage, you are surely going to feel the backlash of overdose and most of the time, it doesn’t end well. It doesn’t really matter how old you are, what gender you are, what setting or status you are in. Fentanyl can kill you and the most dangerous truth about it is that it can kill even those who are not addicted to the drug. Fentanyl comes in various forms such as a lollipop and skin patch which could make the drug easily absorbed in your system.