Fentanyl suspected in overdose of two Vancouver teens
Two teenage boys were rushed to hospital due to a suspected drug overdose on Saturday night, leaving one of them in critical condition.
A 17-year-old boy is on life support and a 16-year-old is recovering after they allegedly consumed fake Oxycontin, known as "fake 80s," mixed with fentanyl.
Vancouver police are once again warning drug users about the powerful synthetic opioid that is roughly 50 to 100 times more toxic than morphine.
"There's no such thing as a safe street drug," said Constable Brian Montague in a written release.
"There's no way to know for certain what the drug may contain."
Police said the teenagers were rushed to Vancouver Children's Hospital when they lost consciousness in a park after they consumed the pills, which were green and had the number 80 on them.
Dr. Jane Buxton, with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, recently said the number of drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl has risen from five percent to 25 per cent over the last three years.
Recreational drug users are believed to be at risk of a fentanyl overdose because it can be mixed in with other drugs.
