Spiked heroin may have caused 2 downtown overdoses, police say

Montreal police are questioning whether the heroin taken by a 40-year-old manwho was found unconscious downtownmay have been laced with something more powerful.

Around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, a security guard working at the Bell Centre discovered two men passed out with syringes in their legs in the corridor that links the arena to Lucien-L'Allier Metro station, saidConst. Benoit Boisselle.

The security guardcalled 911. When police arrived at the scene, they performed CPR on both men and managed to revive one of them, who is 32.

But the other, the 40-year-old,did not regain consciousness. Both were taken to hospital, and police say they fear for the life of the oldervictim.

Boisselle said the younger of the two men told investigators they had bought heroin somewhere downtown earlier in the day.

"Was the substance just heroin, or was there something else in that liquid? The analysis of the drugs will allow us to conclude exactly what was taken."

Across the country, authorities have warned thatfentanyl,a potentopioidand painkiller,is increasingly being cut into street drugs such asheroin, cocaineand crack.

• Life-saving drug for opioid overdoses to be offered for free in Quebec pharmacies
• Montreal police bust 2fentanyltrafficking rings, arrest 10 during raids

Paramedics used naloxone,the fast-acting drug used to reverse the effects of anopioidoverdose, on both men, said Urgences-SantspokespersonSteveKouloumentas.

WhileUrgences-Santwouldn't characterize the situation as a crisis, they are seeing more cases offentanyland evencarfentanil, anopioid100times more toxicthanfentanyl, in Montreal,Kouloumentassaid.

First responders withUrgences-Santhave been carrying naloxonesince 2012.

Pharmacies to be stocked with naloxone

The Quebec government announced Wednesday that naloxonewill soonbe free and accessible in pharmacies acrossthe province in an effort to prevent a full-blown fentanyl crisis, similar to the situation in Vancouver.

The number of drug overdoses and deaths related to fentanylhas spiked in Montreal over the last year.

Dr. Carole Morissette, the doctor in charge of the response to the fentanylcrisis with Montreal Public Health, recently calledfentanyl'sgrowing presence in the citya "public health emergency."

Montreal Mayor DenisCoderre has said he is in favour of equipping more first responders with naloxone. Under the province's new plan,police officers and firefighters, like their counterparts in other provinces, will be authorized to carrynaloxonekits.

• Montreal mayor promises police, firefightersnaloxonekits for 'anticipated'fentanylcrisis
• How to administer naloxone in case of opioid overdose

Treating addictionis key, doctor says

Dr. Marie-ve Morin, who works with people with addictions, praised the province's move to make naloxonemore widely available, pointing out that opioidaddiction hadbeen an issue long before fentanylstarted to dominate the conversation.

She said while first responders should be equipped with naloxonekits, drug users should as well since they are, technically, the first people at the scene of an overdose.

But Morin said that absent from this dialogue is the idea of making treatment for people who are addicted to drugs more widely accessible. She has found that many addicts want to stop,but that getting clean is easier said than done and is often physically painful.

Methadone and suboxoneare two drugs prescribed to help wean addicts off illicit drugs, but access to those drugs is limited. She wants more doctors and medical students to be educated about the impact they can have.

"We're talking about intervening in emergency situations, but if we treated these people, there would be fewer overdoses," she said.