THUNDER BAY — A Thunder Bay health agency is warning drug users of a high rate of contamination in the local supply.
NorWest Community Health Centres published an alert on Wednesday indicating many recently-tested samples of what users believed to be cocaine in fact contained other substances, including fentanyl.
Of all cocaine samples tested onsite, just 11 per cent contained only cocaine, 33 per cent contained cocaine and phenacetin, a pharmaceutical compound, and a whopping 55 per cent did not contain cocaine at all.
About a fifth of those non-cocaine samples contained fentanyl, while the rest contained fentanyl, dimethyl sulfone, and methamphetamines, NorWest said.
It’s crucial for people to be aware the substances they’re using could contain unexpected — and potentially fatal — ingredients, said director of health services Jennifer Lawrance.
“It’s really important to remember the drug supply is very toxic and variable,” she said. “You might not be getting what you think you purchased, and in fact you may even need to be prepared to respond to an opioid overdose, even if you don’t think you’ve purchased an opioid.”
NorWest encourages those who consume illicit drugs to use the agency’s drug-checking service, which operates out of its Path 525 clinic.
The equipment requires a “very minute sample” of the drugs, Lawrance noted.
She also urged people to ensure they’re not using alone, and that they know how to respond to a suspected opioid overdose using naloxone.
More information about where to find naloxone kits locally is available at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit’s website.
Lawrance said using the Lifeguard app is another potentially life-saving step.
Opioid-related deaths in the district have grown nearly ten-fold over the past 15 years, a trend tied in large part to fentanyl and the growing prevalence of contaminated drugs.
The Path 525 clinic itself reported reversing 117 overdoses in 2022.
