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The city of Hamilton has released it’s opioid statistics for the month of March and so far there have been 27 opioid related 911 calls. In just one week, from March 13th to the 19th there were 46 drug related emergency room visits.

Dr. Fraser Mackay is a physician at the Segue Medical Clinic that specializes in helping those with opioid addictions. He believes the reason for the increase of overdoses and medical emergencies related to opioids is because people no longer know exactly what drug they are using. Mackay says he has many patients who think they are just taking heroin, but often times end up with a mixture that includes the much more powerful opioid fentanyl.

In 2015, 37 Hamiltonians died from opioid overdoses. An additional 10 died from both a combination of opioids and alcohol, making 2015 the deadliest year since 2005