Peel police issued a public advisory on Monday night after three fentanyl overdoses occurred within an hour in Mississauga.
Police said that the overdoses happened between 7:35 p.m. and 8:35 p.m. in various places across the city. Three men aged 33, 37, and 42 were said to be smoking fentanyl in the form of blue and purple pills.
The three men reportedly became unconscious immediately after ingestion. Two of the three received doses of naloxone before emergency services arrived.
All three were rushed to the hospital and are now in stable, non-life-threatening condition.
Police said they do not know if the incidents were connected, or who administered the doses of naloxone before emergency services arrived.
“It is not uncommon for these incidents to occur in the Region of Peel,” said Peel Police Constable Mandeep Khatra.
Ninety-eight opioid-related deaths happened in Peel Region from Jan. to Sept. 2021, with fentanyl found in 89 per cent of the cases.
Peel Public Health Communications Specialist, Jeffery LeMoine said that opioid-related deaths and overdoses in Peel Region rose 36 per cent from 2020 to 2021.
Naloxone kits are a way to help reduce this number.
Police said that in Monday’s incident, one man received two doses of naloxone and a second man received six doses before first responders arrived.
Naloxone is a medication that reverses the effects of opioids including fentanyl. It can be administered through a shot or through a nasal spray.
“Naloxone may be administered multiple times depending on the situation… Anyone can administer naloxone to help save a life,” said Khatra.
Pharmacies across the province provide naloxone kits to anybody free of charge. The list of participating pharmacies can be found here. Pharmacists will explain in detail how to administer doses of naloxone.
Kits can also be delivered by the Peel Region Needle Exchange Program. They can be called or texted at 647-225-1623 Monday to Saturday from 4 p.m. until 11 p.m., and they will deliver naloxone kits to all locations in Peel Region. The team will also train you on how to recognize an opioid overdose and how to use the naloxone kit.
Peel Region also has an Opioid Strategy which LeMoine said is focused on:
“…Establishing supervised consumption services in Peel region, the exploration of drug decriminalization, access to a safe drug supply and continuing to address stigma towards people who use substances and harm reduction services,”
Despite plans in 2018 to offer naloxone kits on campus, Humber College does not currently offer them to students.