Latest news with #GoodSamaritanAct
CBC
16-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
More young people are dying from toxic drugs, warns chief medical examiner
Recent overdose victims were younger than 20. The youngest was just 14, says chief medical examiner 13 minutes ago Duration 1:08 Teenagers as young as 14 years old are dying from drug overdoses in recent "gut-wrenching" incidents, says Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical examiner. Dr. Nash Denic joined the RCMP in a press conference Wednesday. Cocaine is now the leading drug responsible for overdose deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador, according to the RCMP. It comes a day after CBC News published a months-long investigation exposing the province's deadly cocaine problem and tracking the drugs from Colombia to Canada, and eventually to Labrador communities. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported 61 drug-related deaths in the province last year, 34 of them from cocaine. CBC News has reported deaths from cocaine have spiked since 2014. "The drugs currently on the market cannot be trusted," Denic said, referring both to cocaine and counterfeit drugs that have gained popularity among young people recently. Some of those substances include pressed pills made of bromazolam, methamphetamine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy, disguised as Xanax; as well as fake Dilaudid composed of protonitazine, a synthetic opioid over 20 times more potent than fentanyl. "If you can just imagine, imagine the two grains of salt-size fentanyl is enough to produce death in individuals, you can only imagine how much you need of the new opioid," said Denic. Denic also told reporters some youth are trying drugs at a very young age, so they wouldn't have any built-up tolerance. Even if they did, Denic says, new opioids such as nitazenes — which are sometimes cut into other drugs — are extremely toxic. WATCH | Police say cocaine is getting stronger in N.L.: Cocaine is getting stronger — and growing more deadly — says, chief medical examiner 54 minutes ago Duration 2:03 Members of the RCMP and Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical say cocaine is the leading drug responsible for overdose deaths in the province. The statement follows a CBC News report showing the drug's effect on families in Labrador. Ryan Cooke explains. He says the individuals who recently died from counterfeit drugs were younger than 20 years old. The youngest recent victim is 14 years old, Denic said. "You never know which line is going to kill you," he said, going back to the topic of cocaine. Overdose symptoms Jane Henderson, a harm reduction consultant with Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, says harm reduction is an evidence-based approach that recognizes substance use is part of our communities and aims to reduce the consequences associated with it. Henderson added the Good Samaritan Act legally protects people who seek emergency help during an overdose. "Overdoses can happen to anyone," she said, and knowing the signs can save a life. Signs may include: Slow or no breathing, Blue lips or fingertips, Choking and gurgling sounds, Unresponsiveness. In the case of an opioid overdose, naloxone may help before emergency services arrive. Naloxone kits are free and readily available across the province, says Henderson. Naloxone does not work for cocaine overdoses. "To those of you who are using drugs, your life matters. You deserve safety, dignity and support," said Henderson. "We understand that when abstinence is not realistic, there are ways for you to stay safer."
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
More young people are dying from toxic drugs, warns chief medical examiner
Dr. Nash Denic, Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical examiner, says the drugs currently circulating on the streets cannot be trusted due to high toxicity. (Ted Dillon/CBC) Teenagers as young as 14 years old are dying from drug overdoses in recent "gut-wrenching" incidents, says Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical examiner. Dr. Nash Denic joined the RCMP in a press conference Wednesday. Cocaine is now the leading drug responsible for overdose deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador, according to the RCMP. It comes a day after CBC News published a months-long investigation exposing the province's deadly cocaine problem and tracking the drugs from Colombia to Canada, and eventually to Labrador communities. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported 61 drug-related deaths in the province last year, 34 of them from cocaine. CBC News has reported deaths from cocaine have spiked since 2014. "The drugs currently on the market cannot be trusted," Denic said, referring both to cocaine and counterfeit drugs that have gained popularity among young people recently. Some of those substances include pressed pills made of bromazolam, methamphetamine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy, disguised as Xanax; as well as fake Dilaudid composed of protonitazine, a synthetic opioid over 20 times more potent than fentanyl. "If you can just imagine, imagine the two grains of salt-size fentanyl is enough to produce death in individuals, you can only imagine how much you need of the new opioid," said Denic. Denic also told reporters some youth are trying drugs at a very young age, so they wouldn't have any built-up tolerance. Even if they did, Denic says, new opioids such as nitazenes — which are sometimes cut into other drugs — are extremely toxic. WATCH | Police say cocaine is getting stronger in N.L.: He says the individuals who recently died from counterfeit drugs were younger than 20 years old. The youngest recent victim is 14 years old, Denic said. "You never know which line is going to kill you," he said, going back to the topic of cocaine. Overdose symptoms Jane Henderson, a harm reduction consultant with Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, says harm reduction is an evidence-based approach that recognizes substance use is part of our communities and aims to reduce the consequences associated with it. Harm reduction consultant Jane Henderson says anyone can experience a drug overdose. (Ted Dillon/CBC) Henderson added the Good Samaritan Act legally protects people who seek emergency help during an overdose. "Overdoses can happen to anyone," she said, and knowing the signs can save a life. Signs may include: Slow or no breathing, Blue lips or fingertips, Choking and gurgling sounds, Unresponsiveness. In the case of an opioid overdose, naloxone may help before emergency services arrive. Naloxone kits are free and readily available across the province, says Henderson. Naloxone does not work for cocaine overdoses. "To those of you who are using drugs, your life matters. You deserve safety, dignity and support," said Henderson. "We understand that when abstinence is not realistic, there are ways for you to stay safer." Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.
CBC
26-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
Fake Dilaudid containing potent opioid connected to N.L. sudden death: RNC
Police are warning about the presence of protonitazine in pills being sold as Dilaudid on the northeast Avalon, saying the synthetic opioid was discovered in a toxicology report in connection to a recent sudden death. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary said Wednesday in a news release that the pressed pills look "almost identical" to Dilaudid, the brand name for hydromorphone, which is commonly prescribed as a painkiller. However, those counterfeit pills contain protonitazine, a drug three times more potent than fentanyl that's "known to have fatal effects in minute doses," said the release. Protonitazine is a part of the nitazene family of drugs, which have been seen with increasing frequency in Canada in recent years. Police first seized nitazene in Newfoundland and Labrador in November in a large-scale drug bust in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. A Memorial University professor told CBC News at the time that nitazenes aren't easily detected by sight and have widely varying potencies, making dosing difficult. The RNC is urging anyone taking illicit drugs to refrain from using alone and keep a naloxone kit nearby to temporarily reverse an opioid overdose. Police also said anyone calling 911 to report an overdose is protected from drug possession charges by the Good Samaritan Act.
CBC
07-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
Health authority issues alert after Saskatoon records 37 overdoses in 24 hours
Saskatoon has seen a flood of overdoses in the past week, prompting a public alert from the Saskatchewan Health Authority and a direction to Saskatoon police that officers now respond to overdose calls. The Saskatoon Fire Department told CBC News on Thursday afternoon that in the past 24 hours it had responded to 37 overdoses. Deputy Fire Chief Rob Hogan said that is a dramatic increase. Since late February, the Saskatoon Fire Department has been responding to an average of 19 overdose calls a day, Hogan said. "[Firefighters and paramedics] are having to assist with breathing, so they're using a bag valve mask, they're doing CPR and then they're having to administer Narcan," said Hogan, using a brand name for naloxone, a medication used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids. "This isn't just administering Narcan, [then] walk away. These are severe life-saving measures that they're having to do, and then administer Narcan and sometimes the patient goes to hospital, sometimes they don't." The Saskatchewan Health Authority's (SHA's) latest alert says the number of overdoses indicate that, "an unusually potent and potentially lethal substance is circulating in the Saskatoon area." The alert describes the harmful substance as light pink chunks, dark purple chunks or other, unknown substances. "Several suspicious deaths have occurred in Saskatoon, these deaths may be connected to the overdoses," the alert said. Kayla DeMong, the executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon, called the number of incidents an ongoing crisis. DeMong said staff at Prairie Harm Reduction are spending all their time reviving people with naloxone. Staff are also taking naloxone kits to houses where they know people hang out and walking the alleys of the city handing out kits and checking on people. "This is so traumatizing, and we're all so scared," DeMong said. "I don't even know how we've seen very few deaths from this, but people are gonna start dying, and that's a lot of people." DeMong said the province needs to declare a health emergency and have the SHA take charge of the situation. Kelsey Fraser, a spokesperson for the Saskatoon Police Service, said police officers do not normally respond to overdose calls, leaving it to the fire department or emergency services, but with the recent increase in overdoses, they are being directed to "attend overdose calls whenever possible." "The goal of this is to gather that critical information that might help an investigation, identify drug sources, disrupt the distribution of them, and ultimately prevent further harm to our community," Fraser said. Officers are equipped with naloxone, Fraser said. The SHA says free take-home naloxone kits are available at more than 450 locations across the province. They're also urging anyone who witnesses an overdose to call 911, knowing that the federal Good Samaritan Act provides them protection from simple possession charges when they seek help with an overdose for themself or others.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Effort to reduce food waste in schools clears Colorado committee
DENVER (KDVR) — Students in Colorado get free breakfast and lunch thanks to voters but the program has had some complaints, especially when it comes to what to do with food that students do not eat. A measure at the capitol encourages schools to end food waste by creating a program to repurpose that food. Colorado bill raising age to purchase rifle, shotgun ammunition narrowly advances On Student Day at the state capitol, sponsors presented a bill to make sure food students get for lunch isn't being wasted. 'We have a problem where people are not getting fed and we have schools where they are just throwing stuff in the trash can. And we had good-intentioned bills that put into place measures that want us to do good things like feed people, but we have no measure or protection in place for that food that goes in the trash can,' said Representative Ron Weinberg of Loveland. 'I think this is an excellent bill that will push us into a direction of Colorado actually being responsible for not wasting food in our school systems,' he told members of the House Education committee. The new bill encourages public schools to establish a program where students can return whole food or drinks, an idea presented to lawmakers by the Colorado Youth Advisory Council: the group of young people that presents ideas for laws every year. After they choose a program to avoid waste, schools can redistribute the food to other students who need it or to local charities. Schools could also establish compost programs. Some schools are already using share tables and other initiatives but sponsors said schools are not protected from legal retribution if they want to donate the food. 'Under the federal Good Samaritan Act, you get protection from donating food. That doesn't include schools. They can donate to nonprofits but it can't be through individuals so this really helps expand some of that protection,' said Representative Lisa Feret of Arvada. Officials voice support, opposition for proposed Colorado immigration bill 'Because there is no protection if they have to do something like this, what happens if something happens? They get sued and then they are liable, now my school district is on the hook,' Weinberg explained. The proposal did not have much opposition, but some folks did call on the state to re-evaluate how the free food program operates. 'Circulations are necessary and can be great. When it comes to food, waste in schools, however, we need to reduce before we figure how to reuse, redistribute or recycle. While I agree with diverting waste to product avenues, we must address whether the very expensive free school lunch program is something we should be throwing money at moving forward,' said Erin Meschke of Boulder. The bill cleared the House Education Committee unanimously this afternoon. It now advances to the House floor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
