Carfentanil deaths on the rise in Ontario

A letter from the Ministry of Health cited 142 carfentanil-related deaths through April 29, 2019 in Ontario, compared to 95 for all of 2018. That represented a 50 per cent increase for the first four months of the year. Carfentanil is a highly toxic synthetic opioid that was never intended for human consumption. The drug has no smell, taste and a lethal amount is tiny. It comes in many forms on the street: powder, pill, liquid and blotter.