Potent drugs claim man's life, hospitalize another hours apart in Barrie

Potent drugs have claimed one man's life and left another in hospital Monday.

Barrie Police Service arrived at the Busby Centre at 8 a.m. in response to an overdose.

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A 34-year-old man has been given the life-saving naloxone treatment and was revived.

"Our team responded in time," said Sara Peddle, executive director of the Barrie shelter.

"It's been very overwhelming. I'm at a loss for words. The crisis is still growing, and we've heard of multiple overdoses on the weekend.

We've got to get the word out that this is a very potent, toxic blend," she said.

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Peddle says her team has heard of more people using it for the first time and is concerned that the drug toxicity has increased.

"It's getting scarier and scarier," she said. "We go through a lot of naloxone now."

Peter Leon, with the Barrie Police Service, said the second man found in distress Monday morning could not be revived.

A passerby called police shortly after 5 a.m about an unresponsive man at Queen's Park.

He was taken to the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, where he was pronounced dead.

Leon said while hearing about overdoses in other jurisdictions, such as the GTA, he's concerned about the lack of precautions taken by the people using the drugs.

"If they're going to partake in high-risk lifestyle, they're going to have to take advantage of the safety precautions available to them," he said.

"Or the next time could be the last time."