drug alert archives
August 17, 2022
Street drugs tested for fentanyl and novel non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer “Xylazine” in Winnipeg, Manitoba
A sample of a street drug that appeared as a powder and grainy substance was confiscated in Winnipeg Manitoba, and tested in July 2022 by Health Canada - Drug Analysis Service. The sample tested positive for fentanyl and Xylazine. This is the first report of Xylazine in this jurisdiction by Health Canada - Drug Analysis Service.
Health Canada's Drug Analysis Service (DAS) test illegal drugs seized by Canadian law enforcement agencies. For more information on drugs analyzed by DAS, see Analyzed Drug Report - Drug Analysis Service | Public Health Infobase - Public Health Agency of Canada
Fentanyl is a very toxic opioid drug that can result in overdose causing respiratory depression, unconsciousness and death.
Xylazine is a tranquilizer that can cause drowsiness and sedation, slow breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure to dangerously low level, and may cause the person to lose consciousness. Because it is not an opioid, naloxone does not work on it.
The combination of these two substances can increase harms.
August 8, 2022
Street drugs tested for fentanyl and novel benzodiazepine “Bromazolam” in Brandon and Winnipeg, Manitoba
A sample of a street drug that appeared as a beige powder was confiscated in Brandon Manitoba and tested by Health Canada - Drug Analysis Service. The sample tested positive for fentanyl and Bromazolam in June 2022. A sample of grainy substance from Winnipeg tested in July also contained Bromazolam. These are the first reports of Bromazolam in these jurisdictions by Health Canada - Drug Analysis Service.
Health Canada's Drug Analysis Service (DAS) test illegal drugs seized by Canadian law enforcement agencies. For more information on drugs tested by DAS, see Analyzed Drug Report - Drug Analysis Service | Public Health Infobase - Public Health Agency of Canada
Fentanyl is a very toxic opioid drug that can result in overdose causing respiratory depression, unconsciousness and death.
Bromazolam is a benzodiazepine (benzo) which causes respiratory depression and sedation and may cause a person to lose consciousness. Because it is not an opioid, naloxone does not work on it.
The combination of these two substances can increase harms.
April 28, 2022
Winnipeg - Main Street Project reports that three overdoses occurred on their premises on April 27th, 2022. One other community agency reports a spike in suspected overdose on the same date.
In all three situations at Main Street Project, staff located the community member and were able to reverse the suspected overdose with naloxone. No information is available about the specific substance used or description of same, however it is believed that all three situations resulted from an injected substance. In at least one instance, the overdose occurred after the community member injected a “hot shot”, whereby the substance was acquired pre-mixed in a syringe.
December 2, 2021
Winnipeg - Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Population and Public Health, is alerting service providers of ongoing opioid-related harms in the Winnipeg Health Region. In 2021, there has been an increase in opioid-related harms. An increase in opioid-related harms may indicate an increase in opioid use in the population, and/or more toxic drug market products circulating.
February 23, 2021
Winnipeg - Street drug tested for fenta-nyl and benzodiazepines in Winnipeg sample of substances sold as "pink down" or "fentanyl pink" in Winnipeg was tested by Get Your Drugs Tested services. This sample, tested by FTIR technology, was found to have a combination of Erythritol 55-60% (a sugar-based filler), Caffeine 15-20%, Fentanyl 10-15%, Uncertain Match 5-10%. This sample also tested positive for Benzodiazepines by test strip (<5%),
Fentanyl is a very toxic opioid drug that can result in overdose causing respiratory depression, unconsciousness and death.
Benzodiazepine (benzos) causes respiratory depression and sedation and may cause a person to lose consciousness. Because it is not an opioid, naloxone does not work on it.
The combination of these two substances can compound harms.