REGINA — The Regina Police Service (RPS) called a recent drug overdose alert in the city an anomaly regarding increased reporting for calls of EMS and police.
On June 13, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health issued an overdose alert after the city reported 54 overdoses between June 5 and June 12.
During this timeframe, four people were believed to have died from suspected overdoses.
“Whenever we see that bump up, there is a concern for us that there might be something in the drug supply that’s currently out there that is a little bit more toxic,” said RPS Acting Chief Lorilee Davies during a media scrum on Thursday.
“We’ve got lots of connections from Western Canada to Eastern Canada. And I would say each sort of investigation has its own nuances in terms of the connections throughout the rest of the country.”
While June stats aren’t available, the RPS responded to 112 drug seizures in May. These numbers were up from April (71 drug seizures).
The most common drugs the RPS are currently seizing include fentanyl, meth, and cocaine.
As for residents seeking drug addiction help, the Nēwo-Yōtina Friendship Centre recently re-opened, focusing on harm reduction.
Davies sees this as a positive way to further ensure people administering drugs are protected.
She also said anyone administering a drug should have someone with them to administer Narcan or call 9-1-1 in a worst-case scenario.
As for future drug overdose alerts, Davies said, “[there’s] always a worry, and that’s why we’re ensuring that we’re working closely with our partners in health and EMS to ensure that we have accurate real-time information so if we do see the spikes, we can proactively address it.”
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