The news this week that a 16-year-old Coquitlam high school student succumbed to drugs in a Port Moody Starbucks washroom is a terrible indictment of the current drug culture.
We don't know for sure that fentanyl was the drug that killed Gwyn Staddon, or whether naloxone would have revived her now that local fire departments are equipped to administer the antidote.
We do know, however, that someone's darling girl is now a statistic in a year when public health officers are declaring drug overdoses by street drugs such as heroin, cocaine, MDMA, methamphetamine and prescription drugs a public health concern.
As recently as this week, Canadian border guards and the RCMP intercepted in a parcel from China 1kg of carfentanil — a drug that is 100 times more potent the fentanyl and enough for 50 million doses.
This is proof that our young people are under siege by drug dealers selling this stuff. Sadly, it's too late for our Coquitlam girl, but her friends commenting on social media may at least help to raise awareness of the risks.
It's also time for the province to do more to fund needed rehab and detox services for youth here in the Tri-Cities.
