A reminder from Ontario Provincial Police about the potentially-lethal consequences of opioid use.
Regional Media Relations Coordinator Derek Rogers says between May 1 and May 17, OPP West Region officers responded to 12 suspected opioid overdose incidents, including three fatalities.
He says so far in this year, there have been 52 suspected opioid overdoses, including 13 deaths in the West Region.
Rogers says opioid overdoses are a public safety concern.
"We want the public to remain aware that the consequences of using these street drugs, they can be lethal, it could be quite severe," he says. "So we want people to be aware that this is happening in their community."
Rogers says those using the drug also need to be aware.
"They simply don't know what they're getting and what the dealers may have done to the drugs that they're taking, that could have tragic consequences," he says.
Rogers says the OPP wants the public to remain aware of the consequences of using street drugs.
"From a police standpoint, our role is to really have an acute focus on arresting these who are behind the production, important and the trafficking of legal drugs," he says. "We also want those who are using these substances to be aware that they don't know what they're getting."
Rogers says in 2019, there were 37 confirmed or suspected fatal opioid overdoses in the OPP's West Region.
He says officers responded to 234 confirmed or suspected overdoses last year.
The West Region runs from Essex County to Wellington County including Bruce Peninsula.
On May 21, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit issued an alert over a spike in the number of visits to local emergency rooms due to drug overdoses and misuse.
From May 12 to the 18, there were 18 visits including 12 involving Fentanyl.