Fentanyl 'patch-for-patch' program growing in Ontario

Ontario communities are implementing new, tough measures to fight Fentanyl abuse.

Fentanyl is a painkiller 100 times more potent than morphine. It is 40 times stronger than heroin.

• MP Charlie Angus calls for public conversation on Fentanyl abuse
• Fentanyl patch-4-patch program expands in northeastern Ontario

Chatham-Kent in southwestern Ontario is the latest municipality to pitch the "patch-for-patch" program.

A community forum will be held Tuesday night at the hospital to promote the program.

If adopted, people with Fentanyl prescriptions would only be able to get new patches if they return used patches to the pharmacy.

The hope is the new exchange would keep the patches from falling into the wrong hands.

The program is similar to a private member's bill aimed at fighting Fentanyl abuse that is winning support at Queen's Park.

The legislation was put forward by Nippissing Progressive Conservative Vic Fedeli.

His community was the first to adopt a "patch for patch" approach.

Fedeli says this has reduced the supply of the painkiller on the black market, and raised the street price of patches from $400 to $600 dollars.

"The real success can only come if every single community comes on board, because the drug traders are going to a community that doesn't have this program," Fedeli claimed.

Chatham-Kent Police say they have confirmed eight deaths related to Fentanyl in the past four years.

Const. Nelson Dasneves of the Chatham-Kent Police says Fentanyl has become the "opiate of choice" since Oxycontin was changed to make it tamper-proof.

"Two years ago, we were coming across Fentanyl [while executing search] warrants. If we did a warrant for cocaine or methamphetamine, we may locate some pieces of Fentanyl transdermal patch," Dasneves said. "Now, it's to the point where we're writing warrants quite often just to retrieve Fentanyl."

Darren Strank, with the Chatham-Kent Drug Awareness Council, says Fentanyl abuse "is a big problem" in Chatham-Kent.

"People aged 18 to 24, finishing up their high school, if you ask them, 'Who know someone that has overdosed or passed away from Fentanyl?' 75 per cent of them raise their hands," Strank said.

Elsewhere in Ontario, the Sault Ste. Marie and Area Drug Misuse Strategy Committee is now requiring patients to return used pain patches back to the pharmacy before receiving new ones.

There are similar programs in Espanola, Little Current and North Bay. Greater Sudbury Police report they're working toward putting the program in place.

Sudbury Police recently said Fentanyl patches are now the most seized drug in their investigations.

Fentanyl has also caught the attention of at least one federal MP.

In March, Charlie Angus, NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay called Fentanyl "heroin on steroids."

He said Fentanyl is now on his radar, following overdoses in the region.

"I had never heard of Fentanyl until I saw its devastating effects on some wonderful young people I knew," he said. "It made me realize that we need to become better informed of the threat posed by this so-called heroin on steroids. This isn't a party drug. It's a killer."