N.W.T. top doctor warns residents can no longer trust drug supply amid spike in overdoses in Hay River

The N.W.T.’s top doctor says people can no longer trust their drug supply as the territory sees more dangerous combinations of opioids emerging. 

Last week, Dr. Kami Kandola, the territory's chief public health officer, issued a warning about a new “toxic and unpredictable mixture” of carfentanil, remifentanil, and cocaine that’s been detected in Hay River. 

Kandola believes the combination of different opioids in cocaine, which she said is the most common illicit drug in the N.W.T., is behind the recent spike in overdoses. 

Twenty-one people have overdosed on contaminated drugs in the community since Oct. 22, according to the director of health services at the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority. Typically, the community only sees one or two overdoses a month. 

“So if you think you’re consuming crack-cocaine, it’s a stimulant, you shouldn’t experience these overdoses,” Kandola said in an interview with CBC News.

The combination of other substances to crack-cocaine is a worrying trend that Kandola says she has seen worsen since the COVID-19 pandemic first began.

“We have a demand for drugs and we have drug dealers who are ruthless and are willing to supply,” she said. “No longer can you trust your drug supply.”

In 2022, Hay River experienced a devastating cluster of opioid deaths.

Thankfully, none of the overdoses since Oct. 22 this year resulted in deaths, which Kandola said is a testament to initiatives that have been introduced in the past few years succeeding.

“[Hay River] increased their access to naloxone, they increased education awareness. Many users in Hay River are aware of the symptoms of opioid overdosing, and they’ve reached out for help,” she said.

But that work isn’t finished. Kim Brooks, the director of health services at the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, said they’re continuing to increase their outreach programs, as well as rolling out naloxone to more retail locations. 

Naloxone kits — which aid in the reversal of opioid overdoses — are available at all hospitals, health centres and pharmacies in the N.W.T. They’re also found in health boxes, a special type of vending machine in N.W.T. libraries that dispenses free health supplies such as condoms, HIV self-test kits and toothbrushes.

With the recent spike in overdoses, she said local medical teams have been able to keep up their level of service, and she urges people to continue reaching out if they need help. 

She said some people are afraid of getting into trouble if they receive medical treatment.