A Montreal teenager died a few days before Christmas after unknowingly taking a drug even more powerful than fentanyl. Inconsolable, his loved ones want to make as many people as possible aware of the risks of opioid overdoses.
• Read also: “I don’t understand why they sell poison!”: the father of a 15-year-old wants to raise awareness among parents
“He brushed his teeth, he put on his pajamas, he took off his glasses to put them on the bedside table and he went to bed, like every evening. The next day, four more pills like the one he took were found in his wallet. He could have killed an elephant with what we sold him,” confides with pain Christian Boivin, the father of Mathis, 15, who died of respiratory arrest caused by an overdose.
The eldest in the family was a teenager like any other, according to his father. He was raised in a “normal” family. He attended private school and “never wanted for anything.”
Christian Boivin, Mathis’ father, holds the death notice of the young man who died of an overdose before Christmas.
Photo Pierre-Paul Poulin
It is exactly for these reasons that the man who lost his son when he swallowed a single isotonitazene tablet confided in the Newspaper; “because it can happen to anyone.”
‘Not a drug addict’
Like many young people his age, Mathis Boivin wanted to discover new things and break the rules. Over the past year, he had had several discussions about drug use with his parents.
“He told us he would like to try pot,” says the bereaved father. My partner and I were very open with him. We discussed the risks and we even offered to buy some for him, to be sure he was consuming something safe.”
After this first foray into the world of narcotics, the teenager probably wanted to go further. However, he swore to his parents that he had “not consumed anything for a while” before his death.
“There was no sign, no trace. Mathis wasn’t a drug addict. Just a very curious teenager and someone took advantage of his naivety,” laments his father.
Young Mathis Boivin was very curious, confides his father, Christian.
Photo Pierre-Paul Poulin
Friends of the young man confirmed that he wanted to get oxycodone, much to the dismay of his family. Isotonitazene tablets look exactly like this prescription medication.
“The coroner did a toxicological analysis and confirmed to us what it was. […] I can’t believe there are people twisted enough to sell this to children. My son was poisoned without knowing it,” breathes Christian Boivin angrily.
He maintains that, for the moment, the Montreal Police Department has not succeeded in identifying the person who allegedly sold the dangerous substance to the young man.
Immense void
Members of Mathis Boivin’s family are still in shock, almost two weeks after the tragedy. The father emphasizes that his other son and his daughter, aged 10 and 13 respectively, took the news hard, but that they “showed great strength”.
For his part, Mr. Boivin says he wants to do everything in his power to prevent other families from experiencing the same thing.
“I wasn’t looking for a cause to defend, but life gave me one. I will defend it in memory of my son,” he concludes.
Relatives and family members of Mathis Boivin will gather for a ceremony in his honor during the day on Friday in Montreal.
Isotonitazene, a misleading opioid
- Health Canada’s Drug Analysis Service has issued several opinions on the presence of isotonitazene in Quebec since 2020.
- Mimics the appearance of the prescription drug oxycodone. It is sold in the form of a light blue tablet marked “A/215”.
- May also look exactly like hydromorphone, a triangular white pill with rounded corners with the letter M on one side and the number 8 on the other.
- Even more powerful than fentanyl, according to experts. A single dose can be fatal for someone who is not accustomed to using opioids.
- Untraceable with fentanyl detection strips. Only laboratory analysis can identify it.
- Its effects can be countered by the administration of naloxone, like other opioids. More than one dose may be needed.