Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday September 16, 2016
Health Canada plans to restrict fentanyl chemicals
Health Canada plans to restrict six chemicals used to make fentanyl as part of Ottawa’s attempt to address what it calls the national opioid crisis.
Health Minister Jane Philpott says a bill brought in by Sen. Vern White means the federal government can act quickly to make the unauthorized import and export of the chemicals illegal.
May 11, 2016
In a news release, Health Canada says its regulatory proposal expeditiously achieves the intent of White’s bill.
Philpott says she is also planning a summit to take place this fall to address the opioid crisis.
In British Columbia, a joint task force examining the drug overdose crisis used International Overdose Awareness Day to highlight steps the province is taking on opioid overdoses.
April 21, 2016
Leaders of the task force, the provincial health officer, Dr. Perry Kendall, and the director of police services, Clayton Pecknold, say long-term and first-time users are affected equally, and no one who tries illicit drugs is safe.
Kendall and Pecknold say certain steps can reduce the chance of an overdose, and they are using the international awareness day as a platform to launch the first phase of B.C.’s fight against drug deaths.
They point to a new testing service to help users determine if their drugs contain potentially deadly contaminants such as fentanyl.(Source: Toronto Star)
