Topic > Fentanyl Crisis in Abbotsford, Canada

The Abbotsford community has begun to encounter a drug, fentanyl. This drug is mainly used for cancer patients who suffer from extreme pain. The drug is ten times more potent than heroin. Because there is no smell or taste, it is incredibly difficult to tell if this drug is found in other medications. The drug is generally placed in different medications in powder or liquid form. Some well-known drugs such as cocaine, molly, weed, and oxycodone pills have been shown to be mixed with fentanyl. This is because fentanyl is a cheaper drug to produce, this gives dealers a greater profit and those who take it a stronger high with a greater risk of dying. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Abbotsford began seeing an increasing number of overdose deaths in 2015 and noticed a pattern. All those who overdosed and died had traces of fentanyl in their bodies. This was a major concern for the community. This is a big concern for the community because there are many teenagers who use drugs and there is no way to know if what they are taking is laced with fentanyl, many have already died from this. According to an article published by Vice, teenagers thought most of these pills were prescription pills, but most were fake. The death toll continued to rise, so much so that by September 2016 the death toll had already surpassed that of 2015. After a province-wide health emergency was declared, the police together with other organizations began to educate the public about what would happen if they took fentanyl or a drug associated with it. Schools have also begun to educate students about the risks involved, for example Abbotsford Senior Secondary posted "Fentanyl Warning Issued - Abbotsford Police Department" on the school website on June 6, 2016. Along with schools that have begun to educate students, the Abbotsford Police Department posted a message article online to the community as a way to educate them and warn them of the risks. Organizations have also begun putting up posters aimed at alerting the community to the fentanyl crisis, as well as informing them of a number to contact if they experience a fentanyl overdose. The problem-oriented policing model that is implemented here is the SARA model. The first step of the SARA model is scanning, this step determines if a problem exists. The problem encountered was the increasing number of overdoses. The second step is analysis, or finding the impact that the problem was having, which as mentioned before is the amount of deaths and the rate at which they were increasing. The third step is the response, in this step the focus is on those responsible and the use of social control. The response was to declare a provincial health emergency and educate the community about fentanyl and the risks of taking it. The last step of SARA is model evaluation, where the results are examined.