By The Canadian Press

Letter from Surrey RCMP urges parents to watch for summer drug use by students

Jun 20, 2016 | 1:20 PM

SURREY, B.C. — As summer holidays approach for elementary and high school students in British Columbia, RCMP in Surrey are urging parents to keep kids safe and to speak with them about easily available and deadly drugs.

In a letter to parents regarding fentanyl, assistant commissioner Bill Fordy says on the RCMP’s website that a safe summer depends on caregivers understanding the risks linked to illicit drugs.

He says it’s hard to tell if a child is thinking about experimenting or may have already tried illicit drugs, but warning bells could include increased secrecy about possessions, friends and activities.

Other signs may include use of incense, room deodorant or perfume to hide odours, and missing prescription drugs, especially narcotics and sedatives.

Fordy says Mounties and emergency health services in the Surrey detachment have responded to the second-highest number of illicit drug overdose deaths in the province this year.

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Across B.C., health officials report a 75 per cent increase in illicit drug deaths, with fentanyl linked to more than half of them.