Evidence of the animal tranquillizer xylazine’s presence in the local illicit drug supply is strong, but the challenge continues to be how to solve the problem.
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There was a full house for a public information session in Chatham Nov. 22, organized by Reach Out Chatham-Kent (ROCK) Missions regarding the impact of the powerful sedative on drug users.
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Jordynne Lindsay, volunteer Peer 2 Peer co-ordinator with ROCK Missions, said reports from outreach workers who deal directly with people with drug addictions, is the drug, also known as “tranq,” is being found in all illicit drugs.
“Of course, we know if it’s a veterinary drug, it’s not approved for humans or human consumption,” she told those in attendance.
“People are not intending to use it, so people are not seeking out xylazine,” Lindsay said. “People are not aware of what they’re consuming at all and it is being cut into the supply.”
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Kayla Stefik, a ROCK Missions outreach worker, said, “I, personally, see the majority of our clients have been affected in some way by it.”
Those in attendance heard xylazine gives “more legs” to opioids, like fentanyl, making the high last longer.
But those taking drugs with tranquility can be knocked out for up to a few days, which can leave people who are homeless or living rough in a precarious position. The concerns include freezing to death, having possessions stolen, or being more vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse.
And the presence of xylazine lessens the effectiveness of naloxone, used to treat opioid overdoses.
Xylazine also causes serious wounds that can lead to tissue death, known as necrosis.
Stefik said in the summer, there were a lot of conversations with clients who thought they had spider bites. She noted the wounds caused by the vet tranquillizer often starts off looking like a spider bite.
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“Often, a pattern I have noticed is wounds are starting in spots where there’s heavy lymph node presence, such as groin, armpits, side of the tongue and neck,” Stefik said.
She said some people were in denial at first, but that has been changing with test strips ROCK Missions have been providing that show the presence of xylazine in drugs.
“People are seeing the result in their own hands, and they’re able to test their own supply, and I think that’s when the reality really set in, locally.”
Stefik said the presence of xylazine adds fear and risk, “but it often times isn’t affecting the readiness to make the full change.”
Lindsay said a point-in-time survey was done locally to get an indication of the xylazine situation in Chatham-Kent.
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The 42 participants from Chatham and Wallaceburg constitute a convenience sample, because participants volunteered to participate “so we’re not able to generalize the findings, which is a limitation of this type of data collection.”
The results show 79 per cent of those surveyed felt xylazine is a concern for Chatham-Kent and 45 per cent reported experiencing xylazine’s effects. And 19 per cent were unsure they had experienced effects related to the drug.
Forty-five per cent of respondents reported using xylazine test strips, with 76 per cent reporting they were helpful.
The survey also found 33 per cent witnessed poisonings where xylazine was suspected often or very often. Another 31 per cent witnessed poisonings where naloxone did not work as well.
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While they can’t generalize from the survey, Lindsay said, “It gave us a bit of a sense of what we’re experiencing in Chatham-Kent among the folks that we work with.”
Those in attendance also heard stigma plays a role, with addicts being reluctant to seek medical attention. They also can have trouble getting timely care, since many have no doctor.
There’s still much work to do to address xylazine’s presence in the drug supply, but there are some harm-reduction measures that can be taken, the meeting heard.
These include educating substance users, encouraging them to “start low, go slow,” use with a friend or call someone before using to check on them.
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