Windsor wants to start testing its local drug supply. Here's why that matters

Even though Windsor has been in the middle of a growing opioid crisis for years now, health experts and users still don't know what other highly toxic substances are being mixed into the local drug supply. 

That's because there's no robust system or technology in Windsor that can check what substances are in drugs and how potent a particular supply is.

Last month, health experts in the region warned that a dangerous animal tranquilizer, xylazine, was likely circulating in the community. Xylazine can cause blackouts and deep wounds that can lead to amputation. It also increases the risk of an overdose, and it doesn't respond to overdose reversal drug naloxone. 

But without being able to test the drugs people are using, there's very few ways to know if it's in Windsor. 

This uncertainty makes it more difficult for health officials to appropriately respond and properly educate substance users on what to look out for. 

"One of the main challenges related to addressing what's become a crisis in our community related to opioid overdose and death is a lack of a good understanding of what's out there," said Eric Nadalin, director of public health programs at the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU). 

According to Nadalin, the health unit relies on blood tests or coroner's reports from people who overdose to then retroactively warn the community of what might be floating around. 

The only proactive testing is through fentanyl test strips that are distributed through Windsor Regional Hospital's naloxone kits. And these strips might not always be accurate, Nadalin said. 

Health unit waiting on drug testing system funding 

Nadalin told CBC News that at the same time WECHU applied to upper levels of government to operate a consumption and treatment site, it also asked for grant funding to purchase drug testing technology. 

This would be a machine that can accurately break down what substances and how much of each are in a drug sample. 

If they see a larger presence of xylazine or benzodiazepenes in what a person thinks is fentanyl, Nadalin said they can recommend different harm reduction strategies that will better protect the user. 

When asked why there wasn't a push to get this technology sooner, Nadalin said the health unit doesn't have strong relationships with the community. 

Instead, having the technology alongside a place like Safepoint — Windsor's pending consumption and treatment site  — will allow health officials to build trust and likely have more people engage with getting their substances tested. 

"Without [a consumption and treatment site] in place, to operationalize a system where you're going up to people using substances and asking them for a portion of their substance to test and check, it would be really difficult to build a relationship of trust," he said. 

Community advocate Bilal Nasser told CBC News that he agrees trust is an issue and hopes Safepoint will help with that, but that it's a "little too late" to be getting this technology now. 

"Drug testing is basic harm reduction practice," he said. 

"On a city scale in the middle of an opioid crisis for us to not have this level of service ... I'd say it's kind of backwards in a way." 

Nasser said he's glad we're working toward getting the technology, but thinks it should have been here years ago. 

If the community knows what's in the supply, he said people can also then advocate for more harm reduction practices that will tackle that particular substance. 

Nasser also said he's advocating for Safepoint to have a clean supply of drugs — where if someone comes in, gets their drugs tested and finds out there's a toxic substance in them, the site can offer that person an alternative. 

Toronto looking to partner with Windsor on drug checking service 

The local health unit also relies on reports from the province or other municipalities like Toronto, which has been piloting a drug checking system since 2019. 

The off-site drug checking service, which operates out of St. Michael's Hospital, gathers drug samples from consumption and treatment sites. Those samples are then brought back to a lab where large machines identify each substance in the drug. 

Karen McDonald, the lead for Toronto's drug checking service, says the information has been "hugely important" for users. She said many of their service users report changing their behaviour after knowing what was in their drugs. 

"So maybe they'll choose to use at the supervised consumption site, use with a friend rather than using alone, do a test dose first, have naloxone handy — that type of thing," said McDonald. 

She added that it's also been useful for public health officials, in advocating for more services, as well as police and EMS workers who find it helpful in preparing themselves for what they might encounter. 

Based on their findings, McDonald said they are hoping to partner with other parts of the province and have been in talks with health officials in Windsor. 

"As long as we have an unregulated drug supply, we need services like drug checking and they need to be more accessible," she said. 

"We need to scale up services to better understand how the drug market is different in different jurisdictions." 

She added that the results can also be "frustrating" for some users. 

"Despite the opioid supply continuing to be more contaminated and more toxic, obviously folks who use opioids in particular are feeling like, how much more evidence do we need to provide that this is driving the crisis? And that we need more progressive drug policies," she said. 

WECHU doesn't know when provincial funding for a drug testing system will be approved, but Nadalin said they plan to roll it out alongside Safepoint.