Schools across the province have issued a warning to parents and caregivers echoing the concerns raised by police about deadly pills in circulation which are not what they appear to be.

The RNC and RCMP have both raised concerns about a surge in overdoses affecting teens and young people that have been linked to counterfeit pharmaceuticals. VOCM’s Linda Swain has more.

Counterfeit pills which are stamped as Xanax, have been found to contain Bromazolam, methamphetamine and MDMA.

Bromazolam is a potent, unregulated benzodiazepine that is not approved for medical use.

Mixing Bromazolam with opioids like fentanyl greatly increases the risk of overdose, while counterfeit Dilaudid has been found to contain Protonitazine, an opioid that is more than 20 times more potent than fentanyl. It can pose extreme danger – even to experienced users.

According to the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre on Substance Use, Bromazolam depresses the central nervous system, slowing breathing and heart rate. When combined with opioids it can cause a person to stop breathing, and Naloxone cannot reverse its effects, although having Naloxone on hand is always encouraged anytime someone consumes opioids or other illicit substances.