When he wants fentanyl mixed with heroin - a combination dealers sell for less than heroin on its own - he asks specifically for 'fake heroin.' On the street, he asks for 'stickies' or just 'patches,' but said there are other names for it as well. The man said fentanyl is relatively easy to find if you know drug dealers. I just think that if you're going to do it then you should know the best information you can get,' he said.īut despite his caution, he has lost consciousness after using what he thought was a small amount of drugs. 'There's nothing safe about it and there never will be. He also refuses to do the drugs intravenously, instead opting to smoke or snort small amounts at a time. He admits he never knows how powerful the drugs he takes are, but says he tries to measure his dosage based on online calculators. His main objective, he said, is to get as high as possible for the lowest price. (CBC)In addition to fentanyl, the fentanyl user said he has used an array of opiates, including poppy tea, oxycodone, heroin and methadone for a period while he was trying to break his habit. The man, right, says he hopes to get off drugs eventually, but for now he's 'chained' to them. 'Using a slightly greater amount of fentanyl can cause death because the drug is so potent,' Dr. Weiss added that even a method of use perceived to be low-risk entails the potential for great harm. 'It's not possible to use fentanyl safely,' he said. 'There's a risk in using opiates illicitly.'ĭr. Mark Weiss, medical director at Toronto's Bellwood Health Services, said fentanyl use on the streets is never safe and people using it are gambling with their lives. 'I want to make sure I get high, but I also want to make sure I don't die.' 'The drug is so potent'ĭr. 'I'm all about safety, to a point,' he told CBC News. Still, the user says he believes he can keep using fentanyl, or heroin laced with fentanyl, despite two or three past overdoses. The patch is designed to remain intact to ensure the drug is released slowly over time. Health officials and police departments across Canada have repeatedly warned that modifying fentanyl patches, cutting them into smaller pieces to use recreationally, can be incredibly lethal and has caused hundreds of deaths across the country.

In an interview with CBC News, he offers a glimpse into what life is like for an addict of a drug that has been pushed into the national spotlight following a rash of highly publicized overdoses.

Guelph sees first fentanyl-related death of 2015.

Fentanyl deaths are a Canada-wide 'disaster'.

Police warn of fentanyl's 'devastating impact'.

Plugging fentanyl patch mylan