Police are warning the public after three people died of a suspected opioid poisoning in the Town of Halton Hills over the weekend.
Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) said since Friday it has responded to two separate calls where three people – two males and a female – died after reportedly inhaling an “as yet identified substance.”
The Office of the Coroner as well as HRPS's 1 District Criminal Investigations Bureau are investigating the deaths.
Police, meanwhile, are asking residents to be vigilant and aware following these two fatal incidents.
They are reminding the public that drug poisoning is a medical emergency and are urging anyone who believes they see someone experiencing one to call 9-1-1 immediately.
The signs of drug poisoning include difficulty walking, talking, or staying awake, blue lips or nails, very small pupils, cold and clammy skin, dizziness and confusion, extreme drowsiness, choking, gurgling or snoring sounds, slow, weak, or no breathing, and the inability to wake up, even when shaken or shouted at.
Further, police are encouraging people who use drugs to never consume them alone and to always carry Naloxone.
They are also urging those who use drugs to “go slow,” know their tolerance, and always use a small sample first to check its strength as the “quality of street drugs is unpredictable and any drug can be cut with (or contaminated by) other agents or drugs which can be fatal in very minute amounts.”
Anyone seeking emergency support during a drug poisoning, including the person experiencing the poisoning, has broad protections under the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act. This means that citizens, including youth, will not be charged for offences such as simple possession for calling 9-1-1 in an emergency.
Police are asking anyone with further information to contact the 1 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777, ext. 2416, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
