Drugs remain a problem in cities and London is no exception, but police officers are seeing a decline in the amount of seizures of this illicit street level drug.
“Fentanyl patches compared to the other drugs that we see within the city is not as big of an issue as some other drugs” London Police Const. Ken Steeves said.
But Fentanyl was an issue in London in 2012 where 101 patches were seized.
Since 2010 the following number of patches have been seized and the street value associated with each:
2010 – 7 patches – $365
2011 – 1 patch – $50
2012 – 101 patches – $5,050
2013 – 79 patches – $3,662
2014 – 65 patches $3,020
Fentanyl is an opioid medication or narcotic which is used as part of anesthesia to help prevent pain after surgery or any other medical procedure.
The patches work by slowly releasing Fentanyl through the skin into the bloodstream over a 48 to 72 hour period, allowing for long-lasting pain management.
It’s for that reason which makes it so powerful and can cause someone to overdose if the patch is not administered at the proper dosage. When Fentanyl makes it’s way to the streets, people are taking the patches and removing the gel, heating it to a liquid and either ingesting the patch, injecting the gel, or smoking it.
Fentanyl itself focuses on the central nervous system which effects a persons respiratory system and when it’s abused in an excessive amount it can cause the user to stop breathing which can lead to death.
“I don’t have any definitive reasons as to why we’ve seen the drastic spike (in 2012)” Const. Steeves said.
