Dangerous drug mix on the streets

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A group of medical experts is calling for a national database to track the epidemic of drug deaths related to painkillers. People in St. Catharines say while crystal meth is the new drug of choice among users, they’re worried about the potentially deadly consequences when it’s mixed with the painkiller fentanyl.

Crystal meth has caused a lot of damage here in a very short time. Police first noticed the drug in Port Colborne a few years ago. Now it can be found on the streets across Niagara region.

In the past couple of years police have seen a spike in the use and abuse of crystal meth. One woman says she knows 3 people who’ve died in the past few months. “Lots of people have died from crystal meth, fentanyl mixed in with crystal meth.”

The painkiller fentanyl mixed with crystal meth is a lethal concoction. “This is a dangerous drug, this fentanyl. It’s 20 times more powerful than heroin. 100 times more powerful than straight morphine.”said Staff Sergeant Shawn Clarkson, from the Niagara Regional Police.

In Ontario, in 2008, 344 people died from a fentanyl overdose. 5 years later 652 people were killed by the powerful drug. A spike that is raising alarm bells across the province.