Global Courant 2023-04-25 08:02:28
A Winnipeg father says his son may be taken from life this week after overdosing on an opioid-laced drug in northern Manitoba over the weekend, and RCMP says it appears the same drug could be used in another community has emerged.
Joseph Fourre’s 31-year-old son, Harlan, was sent to hospital in critical condition Saturday night after he and three other men became unresponsive at an establishment in The Pas, Man. The Pass is about 320 miles northwest of Winnipeg.
RCMP said paramedics administered naloxone to the men and were able to revive three of them, who were taken to hospital for treatment and later released.
Fourre said his son’s heart was not beating, and Harlan was taken to hospital in The Pas, where he was stabilized enough to be flown to a hospital in Brandon, Man.
On Monday, Fourre said doctors confirmed his worst fears — that Harlan suffered catastrophic brain damage from the lack of oxygen in his brain during that time, and is not expected to wake up.
“Everything that was conscious, everything that made Harlan Harlan disappear, has been destroyed,” he said in an interview Monday night.
Joseph said Harlan will be taken to the Winnipeg Health Sciences Center where doctors will assess his eligibility for organ donation.
He said Harlan will likely be taken off a ventilator later this week. The family hopes that Harlan’s love of helping people can continue through organ donation if possible.
Suspected drug found in Thompson
On Sunday, Mounties said they had been told the men had taken an illegal drug, possibly ecstasy, believed to be laced with an opioid. They learned of two additional overdoses of the drug at the same establishment several hours later, according to the release.
On Monday, police said they believe the substance found in The Pas may also be in Thompson, Man.
RCMP says one of its officers was at Thompson General Hospital on an unrelated matter Sunday afternoon when a nurse approached him and turned over a small box.
The box contained seven vials of an “unknown crystalline powder substance” that police said contained an opioid in field tests at the detachment.
A sample of the suspected drug was sent for further analysis.
“RCMP believes the drugs seized at Thompson may be the same substance discovered at The Pas, leading to the hospitalization of six people, one of whom remains in critical condition,” Monday’s press release said. .
Thompson RCMP said there has been one reported overdose believed to be related to the suspected drug, according to the press release.
RCMP released this photo of vials seized Sunday in Thompson, Man, containing suspected drugs. (Submitted by RCMP)
Members of Harlan’s family, including his sisters and cousins, were devastated by the news of his overdose, said his father, who works with people with addictions.
“I’m not taking my son completely off the hook with this. He made a choice that night that unfortunately cost him his life,” said Joseph.
“But if he had gotten what he bought, he would be alive today.”
