Potentially lethal meth on streets of Brandon, officials warn

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Officials in Brandon are warning that potentially lethal drugs have been circulating in the city, after a batch of methamphetamine recently sold on the streets was found to contain high amounts of fentanyl.

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“That’s just the reality of the state we are in right now; we just have a toxic supply of drugs,” Brandon coordinator for the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network (MHRN) Solange Machado said.

“There is a lot of stuff going around that is making people sick, and there are more and more potent drugs that people maybe aren’t used to.”

On Friday, MHRN, an organization made up of 11 regional sites across the province that works to coordinate and support harm reduction efforts, posted a notice on their social media that a substance recently sold in Brandon that the buyer believed was methamphetamine contained 21% fentanyl.

According to Machado, each MHRN site has what they refer to as a peer group made up of those who have used or do use drugs, and she said those peers can come to them and get advice “without judgment” if they feel something is wrong with the drugs they have taken or are planning to take, or if they believe something dangerous might be making the rounds on the streets.

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She said a peer in Brandon recently brought in a batch of meth after using and suspecting that something was wrong with the drugs.

“She just thought something wasn’t right because she had used the drug and just felt unusual, and she wanted to get it tested,” Machado said.

The meth was sent to Winnipeg for testing and results recently came back that showed the drugs contained 21% fentanyl, Machado confirmed.

She added that amount of fentanyl can cause overdoses and in some cases death, and would be dangerous mixed with meth, because the two drugs are so different in how they affect the brain and the body.

“It’s a high amount particularly to be in meth because meth is a stimulant and you don’t want to see opioids mixed with stimulants, because they have basically opposite effects on the brain, so they often don’t react well together.”

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MHRN continues to work directly with former and current drug users and build trust with them in a number of ways including with their peer groups, and Machado said that is why a user felt comfortable bringing in drugs they were concerned about.

She added building those relationships helps to give MHRN a better and more realistic take of what is happening in communities and what drugs are circulating in Manitoba, and of when they need to warn people about the drugs that are out there.

“They are typically the first to know if something is wrong on the streets, and they are really good at communicating what’s going on, and what is wrong or concerning on the streets,” she said.

“If they think something isn’t right they share with us but they also share with one another, because they really work to take care of one another, and watch out for each other.”

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And according to Machado, there is a good chance that drugs laced with fentanyl and other possibly toxic substances are still making the rounds in Brandon, and she hopes those who do make the choice to use drugs take whatever precautions they can to keep from being harmed or killed.

“It could be the same batch or there can be similar batches going around, so we warn people to have naloxone kits around and never ever use alone,” she said.

The toxic drugs recently tested are also causing concerns in the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation (SVDN), a First Nations community located about 50 kilometres west of Brandon, as officials are warning the same drugs or similar ones could make their way into, or have possibly already arrived in SVDN.

“It is highly likely this drug will make its way to SVDN borders,” SVDN said in a notice on their Facebook page.

“This drug can kill rapidly through respiratory depression, so we will need to remain hyper-vigilant in the forthcoming days.”

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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