2024-01-05 20:36:19
An addiction expert persists and signs: it is “the war on drugs” which cost the life of young Mathis Boivin, 15, who died of an overdose of an opioid even more powerful than fentanyl.
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• Read also: 15-year-old teenager died of an overdose: “unknowingly poisoned” by an opioid even more powerful than fentanyl
On the night of December 21 to 22, the teenager apparently consumed an isotonitazene tablet, without his knowledge. He thought he had purchased five doses of oxycodone, but it was instead this powerful synthetic opioid that was inside the tablets, according to what a toxicology analysis revealed.
“If we had not fought heroin so aggressively, there would be no way of finding isotonitazene on the street,” believes the professor specializing in addictions at the University of Montreal, Jean-Sébastien Fallu.
Jean-Sébastien Fallu, professor specializing in addictions at the University of Montreal. Courtesy
He argues that it is by criminalizing the possession of many types of narcotics that governments have pushed manufacturers, importers and sellers of these substances to find alternatives.
“They began to synthesize other types of opioids that are derivatives of those that have been made illegal. They are looking for ways around it by creating more powerful products from other legal drugs.”
Change your mind
The professor believes that Canada and Quebec must rethink their strategy to stop the presence of substances that can represent a great risk to life when consumed without knowing it.
“Repression doesn’t work. We already saw this with alcohol during prohibition. We need to better regulate what circulates in the street by stopping stigmatizing and criminalizing what happens there,” he underlines.
According to him, “the solution has several layers”, including a change of approach. We should also “invest more in the fight against poverty and mental health”.
Mr. Fallu, however, maintains that we should not go to the other extreme and decriminalize all drugs. He would like a compromise to be found between strong-arm tactics and carelessness to allow the market to stabilize.
“In this case, we are talking about isotonitazene, but there is also fentanyl and xylazine (the “zombie” drug, Editor’s note) which are increasingly present in recent years. We absolutely must rethink our way of doing things, otherwise we can just expect it to increase,” he concludes.
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