Saskatoon police say use of new, dangerous opioid difficult to track

(File photo)

Saskatoon Police Service says that the use and presence of potent new synthetic opioids known as nitazenes are difficult to track and monitor.

"The different analogs are often only detected after samples of seized synthetic opioids are sent to Health Canada for analysis. Synthetic opioids typically contain numerous substances that act to replicate the effects of traditional heroin; nitazene is one of many additives that, when combined with fentanyl, can create a lethal combination resistant to naloxone," spokesperson Joshua Grella said in a statement Wednesday.

"As always, we would remind members of the public that any drug that is not prescribed by a doctor and dispensed by a pharmacist can result in serious injury or death. Further, we encourage the public to familiarize themselves with and tell others about the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act which provides some legal protection to those who experience or witness an overdose and seek emergency help."

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The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction this week warned that nitazenes are a rising presence in the drug supply of potent synthetic opioids.

Nitazenes are often more potent than fentanyl and appear unexpectedly in drugs assumed to contain other types of opioids like fentanyl, oxycodone and non-medical benzodiazepines, the centre says.

The rise coincides with an increase in prevalence of benzodiazepines, which are often used as sedatives and tranquillizers.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan issued an advisory last November warning of the first detection of such a drug in the Saskatoon area.

This type of substance was only detected in less than one per cent of samples analyzed by Health Canada in 2021 — which four times the levels detected in 2020, the substance use centre said.

"One of the purposes of these alerts is not necessarily to put them out when the house is burning down, but more when there's a spark that got out of the fireplace," said Sarah Konefal, research and policy analyst at the centre.

- With files from Erika Ibrahim, The Canadian Press