Whenever a troubling trend establishes itself among people who take street drugs in Northwestern Ontario, the Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) puts out a drug alert to help people who use drugs, organizations, and healthcare professionals prepare to adapt to the unpredictable and unregulated sale of street drugs.
NWHU’s Program Manager for Sexual Health and Outreach Services Shelly McLarty said that drug alerts issued by the organization serve to warn people there may be additional hazards or contaminants that highten the risks associated with unregulated and illicit drugs.
“A drug alert is a public message that warns people about dangerous or unexpected substances showing up in local street drugs. These alerts are usually based on recent overdoses and/or unusual reactions,” McLarty said.
These alerts raise awareness, support safer use practices, and help community organizations coordinate their response to an influx of potentially toxic street drugs in their community. Some organizations might even increase their supply and distribution of naloxone, drug test strips, and education on the use of these items in light of this.
“Drug alerts matter because the street drug supply is unpredictable and can change quickly. When people know what’s circulating, they can take precautions,” McLarty said.
“They can also recognize overdose symptoms and share information to keep others safe.”
Additionally, drug alerts aren’t only for people who use drugs.
“Drug alerts are for people who use drugs, their friends and families, harm reduction workers, health-care providers, first responders, and community organizations,” McLarty said.
“Drug alerts are released whenever concerning patterns appear, such as spikes in overdoses, unusual symptoms, or reports of new or stronger substances. They are issued based on need, not on a schedule.”
So, chances are, if you see a drug alert, it’s because one of those concerning patterns has appeared and tainted the local drug supply, which McLarty said is not uncommon with drugs in the region.
“The drug supply in our region has been highly unpredictable, with fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, Nitazine, medetomidine, benzodiazepine-like substances, or a mixture of all these drugs,” McLarty said.
However, this is consistent with national trends, according to an article published by the federal government.
“As the prevalence of Fentanyl has increased over the years, the co-occurrence patterns have also evolved,” reads an article on the emergence of opioids in Canada released by the federal government.
“In 2021, benzodiazepines became the most frequently observed co-occurring substances with Fentanyl, found in approximately 36 per cent of samples containing Fentanyl. Methamphetamine has been increasingly found alongside Fentanyl. New and emerging substances of concern, Xylazine and nitazenes, have consistently co-occurred with Fentanyl and Fentanyl analogues.”
McLarty said these trends are similar across many municipalities in northwestern Ontario, including Fort Frances, Kenora, Dryden and Sioux Lookout, and the NWHU also monitors drug alerts from Winnipeg and Thunder Bay.
While these drug alerts help to curb the likelihood nd intensity of overdoses in the region, they have a limit.
“Drug alerts cannot fix the toxic drug supply,” McLarty said.
“[Or] fully analyze all substances, reach everyone who uses drugs, or prevent all overdoses. [The Northwestern Health Unit] shares drug alerts to reduce harm, prevent deaths, and keep communities informed about sudden changes in the drug supply.”
According to data from the federal government, an average of over 5,000 opioid related fatalities are reported each year.
“In Canada, a total of 44,592 fatalities due to apparent opioid toxicity were recorded from January 2016 to December 2023,” the article from the Government of Canada reads.
“2023 witnessed an alarming average of 22 deaths per day. In comparison, the number of deaths per day was approximately 8 in 2016 and 12 in 2018, underscoring a significant increase over recent years.”
According to McLarty, the best outcome for a drug alert is when “the drug alert reaches people quickly, encourages safer drug use, helps service providers prepare for possible overdoses, and ultimately prevents overdoses or saves lives.”
Anyone can sign up for drug alerts on the Northwestern Health Unit’s website. Drug alerts are also sometimes shared on social media, harm reduction sites, community agencies, and in the local media.
