Fentanyl pills are often sold on the street as fake Oxycontin.The Canadian Press
Police issue warning after fentanyl stolen from Toronto drugstore
Toronto police have issued a public warning after a powerful drug was stolen from an east-end pharmacy.
Police say up to 20 boxes each containing five patches of fentanyl were taken in a break-in Thursday.
No suspects have been identified so far.
The drug, a synthetic opioid used primarily to treat severe pain, is said to be about 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and about 40 times more potent than heroin.
Police say the patches could be harmful or fatal, especially to children, and urge anyone who finds them not to touch them.
The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse recently said as many as 655 Canadians may have died between 2009 and 2014 from fentanyl overdoses.