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Dangerous cutting agents contained in illegal drugs can result in death or serious injury.
That warning was issued Wednesday by RCMP about less expensive chemicals used to cut ordilute recreational drugs.
“With illegal drugs, you can’t be sure of what you’re taking,” Cpl. Curtis Kuchta of Inverness County RCMP said in a news release.
“For example, earlier this year, (the) Inverness street crime enforcement unit seized a substance determined to be five per cent cocaine and 95 per cent cutting agents.”
Some of the substances that have been detected
as cutting agents in drugs seized in Nova Scotia include methamphetamine, phenacetin, levamisole, lidocaine and benzocaine, police said, adding that they are concerned about seeing fentanyl used as a cutting agent in the future.
“These cutting agents are dangerous and it’s important for drug users to know that what they’re buying isn’t always what the dealer says it is,” said Cpl. Dal Hutchinson of Nova Scotia RCMP. “We’re asking people to think seriously about the many risks of taking drugs and to reach out to addictions resources for help.”
For more information on how to access addictionsresources, visit Nova Scotia Health Authority’smental health and addictions web page. If you need
immediate help, call the toll-free Mental Health Crisis Line at 1-888-429-8167.
To reduce the risk of an overdose, RCMP urge people to never use drugs alone and to always carry Naloxone. To find the closest pharmacy that offers kits, visit the Nova Scotia Take Home Naloxone Program website.
RCMP said their priority is getting help to those who need it, and anyone who experiences or witnesses a drug overdose is encouraged to call 911. The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act provides some protection for people who seek emergency help for an overdose and anyone at the scene when help arrives.
