Sadly, it seems that every year or two we hear of another drug that is putting the lives of young adults and others struggling with addiction at risk. A few years ago it was the synthetic drug crystal meth that was just becoming known in Manitoba after having ruined many lives in the mid-west United States. Today crystal meth is too frequently being found in the province and residents of the southeast know that no region is immune to these drugs. While there is a greater awareness among young people of its danger and addictiveness, its availability persists.
Not long after the concern about crystal meth arose, the illegal use of the pain killer oxycontin became a growing concern as well. Oxycontin is a prescription drug, similar to morphine, which is given to patients who suffer from persistent pain. However when used as an illegal drug outside of medical supervision, it is highly addictive.
And now recently, there have been increasing concerns about the drug fentanyl. Fentanyl is a highly addictive painkiller that is often used to treat cancer patients. Fentanyl is considered 100 times more powerful than heroin and has been blamed for a number of recent drug overdoses in Canada.
Many of the overdoses that involve fentanyl, oxycontin, crystal meth and other drugs are accidental. They occur sometimes because the user is unaware of what the drug they are buying and consuming is. In fact fentanyl is illegally sold in powder or pill form and is often mixed in with other drugs so the user many not be aware of what it is they are taking. That is the case with crystal meth, oxycontin and other drugs as well.
Sadly, it seems that the drugs that are being illegally sold are more deadly and addictive then ever before and they are often being sold without the user understanding their danger. That is why it is important that parents have a good understanding of the new types of drugs that their children may be exposed to so they can have an appropriate discussion with them about the dangers and deadly impact of them.
