MP Charlie Angus calls for public conversation on fentanyl abuse

The member of Parliament for Timmins-James Bay is turning his attention to the abuse of a prescription pain patch he calls heroin on steroids.

Charlie Angus said fentanyl is 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 isnt a party drug. Its a killer.

On Friday, Angus hosted a working group on the issue with health experts and police in the Porcupine region.

The group is setting out a series of strategies to raise awareness and find ways to limit the drug from getting on the street.

There are people becoming addicted to fentanyl who have never messed with hard drugs before, Angus said.

What makes fentanyl so dangerous is that someone who cuts the patch and tries to smoke it can suffer life-threatening impacts on their first toke. This is not a drug to be messed with.

Angus said over the next few weeks,the working group will lay out a plan for addressing the risk posed to people in the north.

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

Several communities in northeastern Ontario have implemented patch for patch programs, where prescription users must turn in used patches to their pharmacy before getting a refill.