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A substance found in Vernon that contains carfentanil (photo courtesy of Interior Health)
By Liam Verster
Drug Alert

Drug alerts issued in Vernon

May 23, 2025 | 4:16 PM

Two alerts were issued in the Vernon area for potentially dangerous street drugs.

Interior Health issued the alerts Friday, May 23, for substances being sold as down.

One of the drugs, described as red pebbles, was found to contain carfentanil, which is approximately 100 times stronger than fentanyl.

Photo courtesy of Interior Health

The other drug was described as pink chunks or pebbles, and contained fentanyl as well as the non-opioid drugs Medetomidine and Xylazine. Those substances are tranquilizers that do not respond to Naloxone.

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Photo courtesy of Interior Health

The health authority advised that the red substance posed “extreme risk of overdose and fatal overdose,” while the pink substance also posed a “very high risk of overdose or fatal overdose.”

It recommended people have their drugs checked, use them at a safe consumption site, not mix them with other substances, and not use alone.

by Liam Verster
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