Hi Everyone,

When I saw this poster taped to a telephone pole the other day, I was not sure if this is a true fentanyl warning or an advertisement for fentanyl. And I am still not sure. Here is exactly what the flyer says. Maybe you can figure it out. This is what I mean.

Bad Fentanyl Alert

First reported on Jan 11^th

Multiple reports of bad experiences after taking fentanyl in Downtown Toronto and Parkdale. Reports of vivid hallucinations, rapid heart rate, time distortion, inability to recognize objects, people, and self. Experiences described as horrifying and traumatizing.

Fentanyl is described as dark purple, and stays dark purple when cooked. A photo of a sample is attached, but colour may look different pictures than in real life. Some report similar affects from white fentanyl with brown flecks.

Effects have been reported to wear off in anywhere from 20 minutes to 4 hours.

Be careful, support each other and as always try not to use alone!

(A picture of something in a small plastic bag is shown. The plastic bag has the following written on it, sold as fent Jan 14/19)

Okay so if you read this what would you think? I was not impressed. For one, this was posted outside of an Overdose Prevention Site and no where on the flyer does it suggest that people go to an Overdose Prevention Site or a Safe Injection Site to test the drug(s) that they are about to use. For anyone who doesn’t know that is the primary purpose of Safe Injection Sites and Overdoes Prevention Sites. If people are going to scream that we need more places that drug users, and drug abusers can do their drug of choice in a safe place, then maybe the flyer should suggest that. And no where on the flyer does it suggest that people should get a free naloxone kit in case the person, or people they are with overdoses.

The details describing the effects of the bad fentanyl are interesting. I mean, if you were to do drugs wouldn’t you want vivid hallucinations and time distortions? Isn’t that the reason people do drugs in the first, second and third place? I am serious. The added description of inability to recognize objects, people and self is in my opinion part of the vivid hallucinations, but what do I know. I haven’t so much as smoked a joint (of only pot and tobacco) for over 28, or 29 years. Who know it may be longer. For the record though, I did try acid, LSD, more than once only because it was considered to be a non-addictive drug.

Since we as a society can’t make people stop using drugs, because everyone has rights, even if those rights infringe on the happiness, enjoyment and rights of others, maybe the least the person who put up this flyer could do is suggest people stop using drugs. But they didn’t. And that is a whole other blog!

Thank you for reading, A. Rebel’s Rant! ;D