Authorities warn of deadly presence of carfentanil in Windsor

The organizations involved in the Windsor-Essex County Opioid and Substance Strategy are again alerting the public that carfentanil — the synthetic opioid that’s 100 times more powerful than fentanyl — is present in our city and region.

According to Windsor police, illicit drugs seized from investigations in March have been confirmed to be carfentanil.

The substances were initially thought to be fentanyl, but analysis by Health Canada has revealed their true nature.

The seizures by police took place in multiple locations in the city — enough for WECOSS to describe carfentanil as having an “emerging prevalence” in Windsor.

Carfentanil is considered an analogue of fentanyl, but its potency makes it even more dangerous. Its intended use is to tranquilize and sedate large wild animals, such as moose and bison.

Along with being more powerful than fentanyl, carfentanil is several thousand times more powerful than heroin, and approximately 10,000 times more powerful than morphine. Even minute amounts can fatally overdose a human.

Carfentanil in its plain granular form has no taste or odour, and resembles common table salt.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit also notes that its surveillance of drug-related visits to emergency rooms shows 15 overdose incidents in the space of three days, from May 26 to 28.

However, the health unit is not attributing those incidents to a single substance. Multiple drugs have been detected from case to case.

Last week, WECOSS issued a public alert that a substance containing carfentanil but resembling cannabis had been recently found by OPP in the Tecumseh area.

Health services in other communities described the substance as being green in colour like cannabis, but being obviously dissimilar to cannabis due to its compressed powder form and lack of odour.

Windsor police remind the public that the city’s first confirmed overdose death due to carfentanil happened in June 2017.

Anyone experiencing a mental health or substance-related crisis is urged to call 519-973-4435, or dial 911.

For more information on community services available for those struggling with opioid and substance abuse issues, visit wecoss.ca.

Related

• Powerful opioid disguised as cannabis-like substance found in Tecumseh
• Windsor police confirm city’s first fatal overdose from highly toxic carfentanil
• Essex County OPP speak out on fentanyl following local overdoses