Drug ‘two-times more powerful than fentanyl’ found in Amherst, N.S., area

An organizer displays a naloxone kit at Centennial Square in Victoria, on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. (Chad Hipolito / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Nova Scotia Health is warning the public about a strong synthetic opioid found for the first time in the province.

The health authority describes N-Pyrrolidino metonitazene as “two times more powerful than fentanyl.”

It can appear as a brownish rock with a powdery, grainy texture.

Nova Scotia Health says a sample taken from the Amherst area was found mixed with fentanyl, cocaine, xylazine, caffeine and a tranquilizer.

It’s recommended people use naloxone to reverse opioid toxicity and call 911 for help with tranquilizer and cocaine toxicity.

The drug can’t be detected using fentanyl test strips, which Nova Scotia Health says makes it even more dangerous.

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