Contaminated illicit recreational drugs raise alarm in Kingston

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The Kingston region’s public health agency is warning local residents that an unregulated drug thought to be ecstasy (MDMA) could contain life-threatening contaminants.

Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (KFL&A) Public Health said in a release on Tuesday that “unexpected and potent combinations of opiates and benzodiazepines” may be found in pills that are circulating in the community and that appear to be ecstasy.

“When you compare it to pictures of what ecstasy looks like in the community, it looks exactly the same,” warns Justine McIsaac, the co-ordinator of consumption treatment services at the Integrated Care Hub in downtown Kingston.

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The Integrated Care Hub is warning local residents via a media release from public health that, when opiates are combined with benzodiazepines, “it slows vital functions such as breathing, significantly increasing the risk of a drug poisoning.”

“Ecstasy (MDMA) is a stimulant, and contamination of the supply is particularly concerning for those who do not use opioids regularly,” the release stated.

McIsaac said she responded to an overdose last week.

Seeing contaminants now in drugs like ecstasy, which is often used by individuals who are not necessarily experienced users but who are pursuing a recreational experience, has her deeply concerned.

“We’re just seeing an increase in the toxicity of the drug supply,” she said. “The concern with that is that these are drugs that are actually casually used by people in community. And if they’re opiate-naive in any sense, they potentially and most likely would die from using it.”

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A popular drug among young people at parties and festivals, contaminated ecstasy could catch inexperienced users unaware.

“It’s not an uncommon substance to hear of people using casually in the community, so I have serious concerns about the safety of the greater community in regards to this toxic drug supply basically being filtered into everything,” McIsaac said.

Public health said in its release that community partners continue to be concerned about the unpredictability of the unregulated drug supply in Ontario, “including the continuously reported presence of high-potency opioids and contaminants of other central nervous system depressants (such as animal tranquilizers like xylazine and medetomidine).”

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McIsaac is urging people to be “extra cautious about the illicit market.”

“Never use any of these drugs alone, be trained in naloxone, carry naloxone, educate your peers and your friends and your children about what’s out there,” she said.

McIsaac works at Kingston’s only supervised consumption site, a facility that she said has responded to close to 4,000 overdoses, many of which could have resulted in death.

“Our health-care system is fragile,” she said. “We’re a diversion program that’s treating individuals in community, trying to alleviate some of the burden on our emergency facilities.”

With supervised consumption sites coming under fire in recent political discussions and news, McIsaac stressed the importance of the work she and others are doing.

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“We’ve never seen an illicit drug market in our community’s history kill this many people,” she said. “To think that by taking away facilities like this is going to make it better…they’re sorely wrong.”

She struggles to understand the reasoning behind contaminating drugs.

“We’re seeing gummies in the community that contained fentanyl that look like a normal marijuana edible,” she said. “They’re getting super creative with how this is being presented, and I’m not sure why. I wish I had the answers as to why this is happening.”

The health unit urged people not to use drugs alone and to always have a naloxone kit on hand.

“While naloxone will not reverse the effects of other kinds of drugs or contaminants, it will help reverse the effects of any opioids ingested,” the release from public health said.

Education is key, McIsaac said.

“This is where (it’s important to support) harm reduction programs to be able to get this knowledge out to the community, to have conversations within the school systems and at the university and college level,” she said. “These are where these drugs are being used, and people need to be well aware.”

For more information on harm reduction visit the KFL&A Public Health website.

For more information about drug contamination in the community, please contact Justine McIsaac at justinem@kchc.ca.

mbalogh@postmedia.com

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