Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 67 HOW CANADA GOT ADDICTED TO FENTANYL continued • Demand for a replacement for OxyContin also gave rise to another problem – a counterfeit version of the drug laced with illicit fentanyl smuggled into Canada and processed for street sale in labs.The labs would typically dye their pills green to mimic the 80-milligram OxyContin pills favoured by opioid abusers, and sell them as "greenies" or "shady eighties." • In comparison to Europeans, North Americans rely heavily on pharmacological solutions to medical woes. In a culture whose citizens pop over-the-counter pills to treat every minor ailment, says Sgt. Darin Sheppard, of the RCMP's Federal Serious and Organized Crime Synthetic Drug Operations, many drug users view the "greenies" as deceptively harmless. • Police across Canada have shut down 20 fentanyl labs since that first major bust in April 2013, mostly operated by organized-crime groups, according to a Globe review. See Map below. • The Canada Border Services Agency, the first line of defence in preventing illicit goods from entering the country, is responsible for clearing international mail. In 2015, the agency made just under 11,000 illicit-drug seizures, half of which came through the postal system. • As long as Chinese officials do not crack down more aggressively on exporters, medical experts say the responsibility for change falls squarely on those in power at the end of the supply chain. • Even if new guidelines were introduced, there are still not enough resources, nationally, to treat addiction. More beds are needed for those going through withdrawal as well as treatment programs for people addicted to painkillers, especially for aboriginals and those living in remote areas. www.theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com Fentanyl pills are made to look similar to OxyContin pills.
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