(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)
April 19, 2019 - 5:01 PM
KAMLOOPS — The health authority is warning of a potentially dangerous drug that has hit the streets in Kamloops.
The beige granular powder has tested positive for heroin, fentanyl and a synthetic cannabinoid called AMB-FUBINACA.
High doses of AMB-FUBINACA, also known as FUB-AMB, may imitate an opioid overdose, but it does not respond to the antidote.
Dr. Trevor Corneil with Interior Health says naloxone may help if the overdose is caused by the fentanyl portion, but says it's impossible to know what percentage of what the user is getting from these drugs.
"If there’s more FUB than there is fentanyl, and it's the FUB causing the respiratory depression then the naloxone is not going to work," he says on the phone.
The high is described as "trippy and speedy," which Dr. Corneil says is commonly used to describe amphetamines, though this drug is a depressant.
The World Health Organization says New Zealand reported that at least 20 deaths were related to FUB-AMB.
There was also a case in 2016 in New York City where about 33 alleged users exhibited "slowed behavior and speech that was labeled as 'zombielike' by the popular press."
FUB-AMB has been detected in samples of products labeled AK-47 24 Carat Gold, Train Wreck2, and Scooby Snax Limited Edition Blueberry Potpourri. Some street names for synthetic cannabinoids, which may or may not contain FUB-AMB, include 'K2', 'spice', and 'fake weed' among others.
Interior Health recommends potential users should always have a naloxone kit on hand, don't use alone, and visit overdose prevention centres like ASK Wellness or Crossroads Housing.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2019