VANCOUVER — Health Canada has taken a step back from its claims that W-18 is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more powerful than fentanyl, now acknowledging more research is needed.
Police and health officials have issued several warnings about what they say is an extremely dangerous drug.
Now Health Canada has issued a statement clarifying its position on W-18 after experts questioned widely-circulated assertions about the substance's potency and classification last week.
Health Canada says it referred to W-18 as a synthetic opioid to align with credible sources including the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Abuse, and because the limited scientific information available compared it to morphine.
But it acknowledges doubts have been raised recently about the classification, noting that it has not been determined whether W-18 is an opioid, even though it's been reported to be 10,000 times more powerful than morphine.
Health Canada says it carefully considered a number of factors before banning W-18 on June 1, and the available data suggests a potentially severe risk for harm from the drug.
