Members of the Blood Tribe participated in anti-drug rally in January. Photo from Blood Tribe Chief & Council / Facebook
The Blood Tribe of Alberta declared a state of emergency in response to a prescription drug problem on the reserve and in neighboring communities. Tribal members believe at least 10 people have overdosed on fentanyl, known on the street as Oxy 80. The Blood Tribe Police Service hasn't confirmed those numbers but is dedicating resources to the issue. "We’re still seeing overdoses and we’re still seeing deaths from it,” tribal member Pamela Little Bear told The Calgary Herald. Just this week, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams seized 300 fentanyl pills in Lethbridge, a city near the reserve. Since April 2014, more than 14,000 pills have been seized across the province, the Herald reported. "Officials for the Blood Tribe met with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency to begin assessment of the local state of emergency request," the tribe said in a press release. "The tribe will also actively seek federal health funding in providing additional resources." Get the Story:
Blood Tribe ramps up efforts to deal with fentanyl abuse (The Calgary Herald 3/6)
Fentanyl warning from Lethbridge Regional Police (Global News 3/5)
Waging war on Oxy 80 (The Lethbridge Herald 3/3)
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