EDMONTON — Police and Alberta health officials are raising the alarm about a dangerous drug called W-18 that is much more toxic than fentanyl, another opioid that has been linked to hundreds of deaths in Canada.
Staff Sgt. Dave Knibbs says police in Edmonton seized about four kilograms of a white powder drug in December and tests by Health Canada confirm it is W-18.
Knibbs says W-18 is about 100 times more powerful than fentanyl.
Dr. Laura Calhoun of Alberta Health Services says front-line health staff have been warned to watch for overdoses.
Calhoun says W-18 is not regulated by federal drug laws and has no clinical use.
She says the message to drug users is that W-18 may be contained in fentanyl pills, and the powerful drug can kill.
