A new drug is making the rounds in Prince George.
According to the Pounds Project, Xylazine is a substance used for sedation, anesthesia, and muscle relaxation, typically used for animals.
A recent sample that was sold as down – over half of it contained benzos and xylazine.
Emilee Wells who is in charge of the drug-checking program at Pounds explains what a typical sample of “down” is usually made up of.
“A typical sample of down would be about 10-15% fentanyl with ideally no benzos or xylazine at all.”
Wells added the first time they detected Xylazine in the local drug supply was last seen and has been detected periodically at their facility.
“We’ve really only seen a few times that we have been able to detect and confirm it in a sample it has to be at least 5% in order to detect it.”
“The idea with benzos and xylazine in theory is that it will kind of stretch the opioid to last a little bit longer. The issue is seeing it in high concentrations like any more than a few percent can have a negative effect on people.”
Wells noted samples with high concentrations like this can lead to a series of opposite effects for drug users.
“If someone is buying down and they get a sample like this – it might not help them get unsick. It won’t even help them with their withdrawals and what we are seeing is people will take more and more and if the down isn’t doing what it’s supposed to be doing it will just make them black out.”
“Down is what we call the replacement for heroin. Normally it’s going to mostly be caffeine, sugar and a tiny bit of fentanyl because it is so potent. Xylazine is new and is showing up in the supply, the same as benzons – basically to give what we sort of call give the fentanyl more legs.”
Regardless of what substances people buy, Wells believes getting them tested is never a bad idea.
“Getting your drugs tested is a great way to be more informed about the choices of drug use. I encourage people to come and use the service. It’s really cool we are able to provide this service this far north as its more accessible in Vancouver. There are not many places where you can actually do that in Prince George.”
As a result, Northern Health has issued a toxic drug alert due to a spike in local overdoses.
Xylazine can also lead to blackouts and memory loss.
There has been an increase in overdoses in Prince George linked to a grey drug sold as “down.” The substance contains high levels of sedatives and tested positive for benzodiazepines and fentanyl. Drug responses: black out, prolonged sedation, memory loss pic.twitter.com/OUj0a2N6os
— Northern Health (@Northern_Health) October 3, 2023
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