A Canadian politician is sounding the alarm about an addictive drug that he says is being openly sold in retail stores in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland.
Member of the Legislative Assembly Harry Bains says dode or doda, an opium-derived drug popular in Canada’s South Asian community, is easily available and can be bought cheaply by anyone—including minors—in many retail stores.
“Anybody could walk in any day of the week and purchase it no matter how old they are, and then they take it just like any other type of drug,” he said. “It’s been a very big problem and it’s a growing problem.”
The drug, also known as “poor man’s heroin,” is popular among taxi drivers, construction workers, and truck drivers who say it gives them energy and helps them stay awake for long stretches.
But it can also impair one’s ability, and Bains says it could be the cause of any number of work-related accidents.
“They drive taxis, they drive trucks, they go on construction sites, or whatever else they’re doing. They put themselves and the people around them in quite an unsafe situation.”
Although doda produces a quick high followed by feelings of relaxation and calm, it can also cause loss of concentration, slurred speech, drowsiness, impotence, constipation, and mood swings, according to police. And as with other derivatives of the poppy plant, it is addictive.
“It is no different than opium—it is highly addictive,” Bains said. “Because it has lower concentrations of [opium] it takes more time to get hooked, but once you’re on you’re on it.”
Imported from countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India where it has been used for decades, doda appeared in Canada only within the last 10 or 15 years, largely in Indo-Canadian communities.
“It started out originally back east in the Toronto area and started to spread quickly to the west,” Bains said.
Made from ground poppy pods, doda comes in the form of a grayish powder and is usually prepared as a tea. The drug can also be used as a kind of meat seasoning, and doda users most commonly obtain the powder from South Asian meat shops.
Dr. David Mowat, medical officer of Health for Ontario’s Peel region, said he has been hearing of increasingly more cases of doda addiction from physicians who specialize in addiction.
“They say they’re seeing a lot of people who are having problems with this drug—problems with work, sleeping, withdrawal symptoms, and family problems,” he told CTV News. “There’s a concern that people don’t really know what they are consuming. People don’t know that this is a morphine derivative.”
Doda is illegal in Canada and anyone found selling or using it can be charged, with penalties ranging from fines to jail. However, because it can contain very small amounts of opium, the legality in some cases remains unclear.
A letter Bains received from the office of B.C.’s solicitor general said that some samples of doda seized in the Toronto area “did not contain enough opium to rate a positive test. Consequently, some of the seized product did not merit the laying of charges on the seller.”
On March 15, Peel Regional Police raided three addresses in Brampton, Mississauga, and Toronto, seizing more than 2,645 pounds of doda worth about $2.5 million.
Doda seizures have also taken place in Calgary and Edmonton. The first large-scale seizure of the drug in B.C. occurred in Surrey last November when RCMP confiscated hundreds of kilos of poppy pods and finished product along with crushing and grinding equipment.
The seized product has been forwarded to a Health Canada lab to confirm the presence of drugs that are prohibited under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
“I think police all across Canada are much more aware of this, the communities are much more aware of this, and they’re starting to treat this issue seriously and they’re starting to pay attention that this is no different than any other drug,” Bains said.
Bains has been working to raise awareness of the prevalence of the drug in response to concerns raised by his constituents. A big part of his motivation, he says, is the fear doda will end up finding its way into schools.
“I think what they need to do is treat this substance just like any other illegal drug and act accordingly for the sale, for the possession, and the importation of this. That’s how you can nip it in the bud—no pun intended.”
Member of the Legislative Assembly Harry Bains says dode or doda, an opium-derived drug popular in Canada’s South Asian community, is easily available and can be bought cheaply by anyone—including minors—in many retail stores.
“Anybody could walk in any day of the week and purchase it no matter how old they are, and then they take it just like any other type of drug,” he said. “It’s been a very big problem and it’s a growing problem.”
The drug, also known as “poor man’s heroin,” is popular among taxi drivers, construction workers, and truck drivers who say it gives them energy and helps them stay awake for long stretches.
But it can also impair one’s ability, and Bains says it could be the cause of any number of work-related accidents.
“They drive taxis, they drive trucks, they go on construction sites, or whatever else they’re doing. They put themselves and the people around them in quite an unsafe situation.”
Although doda produces a quick high followed by feelings of relaxation and calm, it can also cause loss of concentration, slurred speech, drowsiness, impotence, constipation, and mood swings, according to police. And as with other derivatives of the poppy plant, it is addictive.
“It is no different than opium—it is highly addictive,” Bains said. “Because it has lower concentrations of [opium] it takes more time to get hooked, but once you’re on you’re on it.”
Imported from countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India where it has been used for decades, doda appeared in Canada only within the last 10 or 15 years, largely in Indo-Canadian communities.
“It started out originally back east in the Toronto area and started to spread quickly to the west,” Bains said.
Made from ground poppy pods, doda comes in the form of a grayish powder and is usually prepared as a tea. The drug can also be used as a kind of meat seasoning, and doda users most commonly obtain the powder from South Asian meat shops.
Dr. David Mowat, medical officer of Health for Ontario’s Peel region, said he has been hearing of increasingly more cases of doda addiction from physicians who specialize in addiction.
“They say they’re seeing a lot of people who are having problems with this drug—problems with work, sleeping, withdrawal symptoms, and family problems,” he told CTV News. “There’s a concern that people don’t really know what they are consuming. People don’t know that this is a morphine derivative.”
Doda is illegal in Canada and anyone found selling or using it can be charged, with penalties ranging from fines to jail. However, because it can contain very small amounts of opium, the legality in some cases remains unclear.
A letter Bains received from the office of B.C.’s solicitor general said that some samples of doda seized in the Toronto area “did not contain enough opium to rate a positive test. Consequently, some of the seized product did not merit the laying of charges on the seller.”
On March 15, Peel Regional Police raided three addresses in Brampton, Mississauga, and Toronto, seizing more than 2,645 pounds of doda worth about $2.5 million.
Doda seizures have also taken place in Calgary and Edmonton. The first large-scale seizure of the drug in B.C. occurred in Surrey last November when RCMP confiscated hundreds of kilos of poppy pods and finished product along with crushing and grinding equipment.
The seized product has been forwarded to a Health Canada lab to confirm the presence of drugs that are prohibited under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
“I think police all across Canada are much more aware of this, the communities are much more aware of this, and they’re starting to treat this issue seriously and they’re starting to pay attention that this is no different than any other drug,” Bains said.
Bains has been working to raise awareness of the prevalence of the drug in response to concerns raised by his constituents. A big part of his motivation, he says, is the fear doda will end up finding its way into schools.
“I think what they need to do is treat this substance just like any other illegal drug and act accordingly for the sale, for the possession, and the importation of this. That’s how you can nip it in the bud—no pun intended.”
