SASKATOON -- Green Hulk and Packpopup are just two of the names of new fentanyl-laced Xanax "bars" that have entered the province according to Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR) and the organization says they're leading to overdoses.
PHR first caught wind of the pills on Monday, May 10th and took to social media to warn of the potentially fatal drug.
“It has caused people to overdose, so we sent out the post, we want to make sure people are aware because Xanax is a very popular drug with high school students and people under 30,” Jason Mercredi, Executive Director at Prairie Harm Reduction told CTV.
Despite just learning of the drug’s presence, Mercredi said he believes it is already making its way around the province.
“We know it's here. We’re pretty sure it's in a number of pockets in the province because we’ve had people reach out to us from several areas.”
According to Mercredi, Naloxone, a medication that helps block the effects of opioids, can be used in the case of an overdose, but he said it will only buy some time and 911 should always be called in the case of an overdose.
Mercredi said that despite Xanax being a prescription drug, people shouldn’t assume the dose they are getting is coming from a reputable source.
“I think sometimes people think when they get a drug that’s normally prescription but they get it from a street supplier, they think it’s the same thing. It’s clearly not.”
