Deadly opioid Carfentanil identified in two recent Alberta deaths

Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has confirmed that two recent deaths in the province were the result of overdoses of carfentanil.

Dr. Karen Grimsrud, Chief Medical Officer of Health, said Albertans need to know that this extremely dangerous and deadly opioid has made its way into the province.

“The smallest trace of carfentanil can be lethal and Albertans should be aware of the life-threatening dangers in using this drug.”

Earlier this week, carfentanil was detected in the deaths of two men in their 30s. One of the deaths took place in Calgary and the other in Edmonton.

“To my knowledge, there are very few laboratories in North America that are able to measure carfentanil in human blood. Alberta’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is believed to be the first toxicology laboratory in Canada to positively identify carfentanil in human blood,” explained Dr. Elizabeth Brooks-Lim, Acting Chief Medical Examiner.

“The discovery of this dangerous drug is concerning to us, and we will continue to work closely with our health partners, as part of sharing information and raising awareness of opioids.”

RCMP officers in Alberta are aware of this deadly drug. Already working on combating the horrific impacts of fentanyl, police officers will begin to stop the flow of this new substance.

Carfentanil is normally used to sedate large animals. An amount as small as a grain of sand could be lethal.

Agencies/Canadajournal