Interior Health has issued a warning for an unknown drug laced with fentanyl found in Kamloops.

Regional harm reduction coordinator Jessica Bridgeman says the drug found is a synthetic cannaboid.

“Let’s be very clear about that, this is not cannabis laced with fentanyl. With the drug-checking services that are offered in Kamloops using a machine… It detected a synthetic cannaboid, referred to as AMB-FUB, in a sample of fentanyl,” she says.

“We want people to know that if they are purchasing or making a decision to use something that looks like a light-purple opioid that it either may have this synthetic cannaboid present, or it may be a variety that is showing to have extremely toxic levels of fentanyl in it.”

The health authority says the drug is causing high levels of sedation for users and causes an increased heart rate, heavy sweating hallucinations.

Bridgeman advises people to follow the harm reduction messages that she says IHA has been pushing for several years now.

“Not using alone, have a naloxone kit, know where to use it, tell somebody if you’re using, make sure that you’re not mixing drugs, and using the supervised consumption sites in Kamloops if that is available to you.”

She says the drug alert will be in effect in Kamloops for the next week.