Fentanyl a 'public health emergency' in Montreal, doctor warns

In the wake of a spike of drug overdosesacross the city, Montreal Public Health is calling for an action plan to fight fentanyl and prevent a crisis situation similar to the one unfolding in British Columbia.

The Quebec coroner's office is reporting that 24 confirmed cases of drug overdoses, and 12 deaths possibly connected to drug overdoses, have occurred since Aug. 1 in Montreal.

As of late August, Montreal policesay there have been more than 90 drug overdoses this year, 10 of which were linked to the powerful painkiller. Two of the overdoses werefatal.

"For us that means we have to move tothe next step of our plan," Dr. Carole Morissette, the medical chief for Montreal Public Health, told Radio-Canada.

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As a result, the agency launched a surveillance initiative where theyanalyze urine samples provided on a voluntary basis from drug users.

The preliminary results confirmed that many of the usershad takendrugs laced with fentanylwithout their knowledge a situation that is becoming more common in Montreal, according to community workers.

"Before it was mostly in opioids, likeheroinand counterfeit Oxycodone pills," said Ange Desaulniers, an employee withMta d'me, an organization that works with drug users.

"But now we're finding it in all kinds of drugs in Montreal we found it in MDMA, in PCP, in cocaine."

As a result, Montreal Public Healthis pushing for an increase in trained workersincluding police officers, firefighters and social workerson the ground to help combat the potentially fatal effects of fentanyl.

"For us, it's a public health emergency," said Morissette.

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Increasing access to naloxone

Montreal Public Health is also recommending that regular citizens should be allowed to administer naloxone, a drug used to treat a narcotic overdose, without having toundergo special training.

InOntario, the government has given out thousands of thenaloxonekits for free and in B.C., the training is offered online.

AQuebec Public Security Ministry spokesperson recently said that naloxone is publicly available inpharmacies, buta Gatineau-based nursing professor found that it wasn't available, or that pharmacists would refuse it to her since she didn't have the proper training to administer it.

"Some pharmacists didn't even know what naloxone was," Marilou Gagnon told CBC in August.

Makingthe life-saving drugmore accessible in Montreal means that drug users and their family members could administer thenaloxonein a situation where time is of essence.

"We want to expand as much as possible to all of the places where there is the possibility of overdoses," said Morissette.

Upcoming action plan

Montreal Mayor DenisCoderresaid earlier this week that he would be meeting with Montreal police and public health Tuesday to see what resources are needed to addressand prepare an action plan.

"I want to speak to everyone concerned by this situation," saidCoderre. "It's an ongoing job."

The Public Security Ministry is also preparing for a possible crisis and said it will unveil an action plan in the coming months.

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