Kitchener teen may have died from drug overdose, police say

A 14-year-old from Kitchener who died last month may have overdosed, police say.

Officers are working with the coroner's office and are awaiting results, Waterloo Regional Police media relations co-ordinator Cherri Greeno confirmed to CBC News.

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It was not immediately clear what drug may have been responsible, but it comes as concerns about an opioid crisis grow in the region.

A newly released opioid tracking tool shows 23 people died from opioid use in the first six months of 2016.

That's equal to the number of people who died from opioid overdoses in all of 2015.

In an interview last month, Michael Parkinson, community engagement officer with Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, said preliminary data showed in the first four months of 2017, opioid overdoses are suspected in 28 deaths.

"It looks grim all around," Parkinson said. "They keyword on people's lips in this community and others across Ontario is bootleg fentanyl."

There are efforts being made to help people who are overdosing, such as making naloxone kits accessible to people at risk.

But in terms of preventing opioid overdoses, "we fall far short," Parkinson said.

"We never talk about up-stream prevention, right across Canada frankly and those are activities that we know would prevent someone from using substances in the first place," he said.