More than two months after one of the most abused drugs in modern medicine - OxyCon-tin - was taken off the market, there are signs that Canadian drug users are trying to adapt and to fill the void that's been left.
On websites, drug users are sharing recipes on how to crack the code for OxyNEO - a new version of the drug - which is designed to turn gel-like when dissolved in liquid so it can't be pulled into a syringe.
In Toronto, public health officials say they are trying their best to encourage clients not to try to break OxyNEO down, "because we don't really know what the impact is of injecting a gel formulation into someone's veins," says Dr. Rita Shahin, an associate medical officer of health with Toronto Public Health.
In Ottawa, where police believe the street supply of OxyContin is drying up, use of fentanyl - a heavy hitter opi-oid stronger than oxycodone, the active ingredient in Oxy-Contin, that has always been a part of the city's drug-trade equation - is growing.
"We've seen an increase in the number of seizures, particularly at the street level, and a lot of trafficking in fentanyl patches," says Ottawa Police Staff Sgt. Mike Laviolette.
