FENTANYL – Little known to the public, abuse of Fentanyl, a powerful opiod prescription painkiller 40 times stronger than heroin is accounting for a mounting death toll in Ontario. It has become the drug of choice since the de-listing of Oxycontin in 2012. The problem is dosing. It comes in time release patches that are typically cut up in sections to obtain the content however the amount of the drug in each section varies and is unknown, resulting in overdoses which shuts down breathing and death. Jail sentences for possession of Fentanyl are severe and equivalent to those imposed for heroin possession.
The small ‘Chemical Valley’ city has a Fentanyl death rate that is four times the provincial average.
Source: Sarnia, Ontario Attempting to Patch Up its Deadly Fentanyl Problem | VICE | Canada