Image Credit: Interior Health

By James Peters

Drug Alert

Urgent alert issued for all of Interior Health; tainted drugs bring lethal overdose risk

Feb 16, 2022 | 3:16 PM

KAMLOOPS — Interior Health (IH) has issued an urgent alert for its entire jurisdiction due to tainted street drugs.

In an urgent release Wednesday (Feb. 16), the IH Harm Reduction Team says multiple drug samples have been found to include up to 55 per cent fentanyl. The typical average is around 10 per cent.

Some samples have also been detected to include up to 25 per cent benzodiazepines. IH says the average is only around one or two per cent.

The drugs sampled have been sold as ‘Down,’ heroin or fentanyl, and come in a wide range of colours and textures.

Week in Review

Week in Review: Week of Sept. 30

21h ago

Two and Out

PETERS: Four dogs will die and the owners responsible will get away with it

Oct 04, 2024

Looped In

LOOPED IN WITH NIKKI OMEN: October 3, 2024

Oct 04, 2024

IH says the risk for users is a high likelihood of overdose with severe complications, including death.

In addition, benzodiazepines may mitigate the effects of naloxone, which is commonly used on opioid overdose victims.