A toxic animal sedative is being cut into fentanyl in Thunder Bay, Ont., outreach agencies warn
Health Canada report found xylazine was spreading rapidly across the country
The drug supply in Thunder Bay, Ont., is increasingly being cut with xylazine, an animal tranquillizer that's resistant to the opoid-rescue drug naloxone, outreach organizations said.
Testing found many samples of pink and purple fentanyl contained traces of the potent veterinary sedative.
Also known as "tranq" or "tranq dope," xylazine suppresses vital signs and can cause prolonged blackouts. It's often used on horses and large animals, but is not approved for use in humans in Canada. Users can develop deep wounds that may lead to amputation.
The sedating effects and severe wounds have given xylazine the nickname "the zombie drug," said Georgina McKinnon, executive director for People Advocating for Change through Empowerment (PACE).
"They walk around like zombies. You'll see them up the street — they'll walk into walls. They don't even know what they're doing when they're on the drug. It's really heartbreaking," McKinnon said.
Dealers cut Xylazine into fentanyl because it's cheaper than providing pure fentanyl.
"The dealers are making a killing on it and the clients are literally dying from it," she said.
At Path 525, which provides drug testing, many of the fentanyl samples that were tested came back positive for xylazine, said harm reduction support worker Kyle Brian Arnold.
"It seems like every time we test fentanyl that they're buying at a lower rate. It's because it's cut with xylazine," said Arnold.
Path 525 released two alerts this week about fentanyl samples that tested positive for xylazine to warn clients to avoid those batches. One was pink fentanyl and the other was purple.
"I would see it on and off probably the last few years, but I would say over the last three months, it's gotten really bad," he said. "My belief — I was a drug user for 20 years — is that I don't think there's anything else worse right now as far as how it affects the body."
Canada's street drug supply becoming increasingly toxic
About 40 per cent of all the drugs tested at Path 525 in November and December contained one or more other substances than what the clients thought they were buying, according to data from NorWest Community Health Centres.
A 2023 Health Canada report found use of xylazine in drugs was spreading rapidly across the country. In 2022, 75 per cent of the drug samples tested that contained xylazine were from Ontario. According to Ontario's coroner, xylazine has been detected in 184 drug toxicity deaths since 2020.
The amount of xylazine found in Canada's street drugs has been increasing over the last five years according to Health Canada's Drug Analysis Service, which tests tens of thousands of drugs apprehended by the Canada Border Services Agency, the Correctional Service of Canada and police forces each year. In 2022, 1,350 samples of xylazine were analyzed, up from 205 in 2019 and just five in 2018.
Few resources for people trying to stop using drugs
The shortage of rehab and detox beds in Thunder Bay means some people who are ready to get sober don't get a chance to, said McKinnon.
"We're seeing so many people that are actually dying while they're waiting to go into detox and get help. We need more beds," she said.
McKinnon recommends that that people not use drugs while they're alone, but if they choose to do so, she suggests they download the Lifeguard Digital Connect smartphone app.
The made-in-B.C. app aims to prevent overdose deaths by sending local emergency responders if a person using substances becomes unresponsive to a pre-set timer.
It also sends out alerts of contaminants found in local drugs, said Arnold, who is also the Lifeguard Digital Connect app lead.
"We let them know the colour, what substance it is and what's in it," he said. "It's so important to know, if you are a drug user, what you're using and how to protect yourself."
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