Herion overdoses are up in Kamloops according to ASK Wellness.
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September 20, 2013 - 5:06 PM
KAMLOOPS - ASK Wellness is reporting five heroin overdoses — including one fatality — in the last 24 hours in Kamloops.
This after a recent warning in Vancouver about a bad batch of the drug and one in Kamloops when summer hit.
"The word on the street is that there is a batch in town that is definitely unusual," says executive director Bob Hughes.
Hughes says two were clients who directly reported it, one was a fatality and the other reports come from people on the street talking about it.
"Amongst the street population, there is quite a bit of heroin in the community," Hughes says. "It's inconclusive as to whether it's just really strong heroin or it's contaminated heroin."
It's a definite increase, according to Hughes who says fatal overdoses typically only occur every couple of months and overdoses in general usually only every couple of weeks.
Interior Health Authority public affairs manager Darshan Lindsay cannot confirm the information from ASK Wellness.
"We have not seen anyone in the ER come in with a suspected overdose," she says of the last 24 hours in Kamloops.
As to whether the rise in overdoses is connected to the problem in Vancouver, so far it's unclear.
"We don't know yet," Hughes says.
However, Hughes is cautioning users and urging those who choose to use not to do so alone.
To contact a reporter for this story, email: jwallace@infotelnews.ca, call: (250) 319-7494 or tweet: @jess__wallace.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013