An alert is being sent out after the discovery of carfentanil in a substance resembling cannabis.
OPP in Tecumseh seized what they believed to be pot, but later testing confirmed the presence of the deadly drug carfentanil — a toxic substance commonly used in veterinary medicine to sedate large animals like horse and elephants.
This has sparked the Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy to issue an alert to the public.
Local Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed tells CTV Windsor drug users need to be extra cautious.
"It is now much more real and it is in our community. If they're buying drugs from someone new, they need to be concerned. They need to be deeply mindful of that and that it could be laced with other potent drugs."
Mike Brown is the founder and owner of Spiritual Soldier — a Windsor coffee shop also helping those dealing with addiction.
He tells CTV Windsor seeing carfentanil pop up in commonly used drugs like cannabis is concerning.
"Some young kid, or of any age, can go and pick up their weed and all of a sudden it's laced with this carfentanil and they smoke a joint and they don't wake up and that's very, very, very scary."
Mike Brown, owner of the Spiritual Soldier coffee shop, speaking with CTV Windsor on May 28, 2019 (Photo courtesy of CTV Windsor's Ricardo Veneza)
Brown adds the continued presence of carfentanil only makes it more dangerous for those with addictions.
"A lot of my friends were opioid addicts and they say it wasn't even to get high anymore. It was just to not stay sick. It was just to maintain right? So, it's definitely an epidemic."
Carfentanil cannot be detected by sight, smell, or taste and overdoses can occur via inhalation, ingesting or injecting.
According to latest data from Public Health Ontario, 28 people in Windsor-Essex died in the first nine months of 2018 from apparent opioid overdoses.
— with files from CTV Windsor's Ricardo Veneza