Manitoba agency warns of recent deaths linked to toxic drug supply

Several Winnipeg agencies are sounding the alarm over a recent spike in drug overdose deaths in the city. Joseph Bernacki reports.

A Winnipeg non-profit is reporting that five people have died in the last two weeks from a toxic drug supply in the city.

“This is a time of intense mourning for the RaY community, and we uphold the families and loved ones of everyone connected with these relatives,” said Resource Assistance for Youth (RaY) in a social media post on Tuesday.

RaY goes on to say the deaths involve people known to the non-profit or its participants.

It adds the drug toxicity crisis has been going on for over a generation.

“Governments can act to make the drug supply safer and prevent these unnecessary deaths- a measure for which we continue to advocate as we await the swift opening of the new safe consumption site,” RaY said.

According to a statement from Sunshine House—a resource centre focused on harm reduction in Winnipeg—community organizations have been dealing with the impacts of a toxic drug supply over the last few weeks.

It noted that drugs have been found to contain medetomidine and highly potent synthetic opioids upon testing.

The organization explains that medetomidine, also known as mede, is a veterinary tranquillizer that is not approved for use in humans. It notes the tranquillizer suppresses breathing and induces sedation, adding that naloxone does not work on medetomidine.

Sunshine House warns a drug mixture known as “down” has recently been found to contain medetomidine and opioids. In these cases, naloxone is not fully able to reverse overdoses, and EMS help is needed.

The organization says that harm reduction efforts help to mitigate the toxic drug supply crisis by expanding access to supplies and providing knowledge of safer consumption. However, it notes, pandemic border closures and reduction in international trade routes have limited the amount of drugs coming into the country.

“This means that the drugs that do get sold contain potent substances like medetomidine and synthetic opioids, and are unpredictable and often adulterated,” Sunshine House said in a statement.

“A bricks-and-mortar [safe consumption site] where people could use drugs under the supervision of professionals, and get those drugs tested beforehand would keep people safer.”

Sunshine House adds that people use drugs in public when they don’t have a private space to do so, which causes them to rush and increases the risk of overdose.

It notes community organizations, including women’s and resource centres, have become “de facto supervised consumption sites,” which forces these workers to take on lifesaving tasks.