Drug-testing equipment comes to Courtenay, B.C., as overdose advisory issued

Drug-testing equipment is being introduced in the Mid-Island, just as Island Health issues an overdose advisory for the Comox Valley and Campbell River, B.C., regions.

The health authority issues overdose advisories when it sees a spike in overdoses in the community.

"It’s a really deadly cocktail of substances that people can be getting, so we just can’t take anything for granted from one week to the next," said Island Health medical health officer Dr. Charmaine Enns.

On May 25, a similar advisory was issued in Greater Victoria, and just days after that an advisory was issued for Nanaimo.

"In the age group of 19 to 39 on Vancouver Island, the leading cause of death in that age group is toxic drugs," said Enns.

With overdose advisories occurring across the island, staff at the Aids Vancouver Island (AVI) facility in Courtenay, B.C., are being trained on how to use new testing equipment.

The equipment can analyze drugs for harmful additives and ingredients.

"It’s not a sure-fire way to prevent overdoses, but it’s helpful information that people can have to make informed decisions about how they're using drugs," said Ashley Irwin, manager at AVI.

The equipment is similar to what's used at the harm-reduction centre in Victoria, which is run by University of Victoria students, graduates and professors.

"Sometimes people know what’s there but they’re surprised that the concentration could be higher or lower than they expected, and often there are other components present," said UVic chemistry professor Dennis Hore.

The hope is that more testing sites, particularly in rural areas of Vancouver Island, can help reduce the number of overdose deaths in B.C., as the health emergency continues to grow.

"There are no individual places across the map which are not affected by overdoses and we want to increase the safety for people who are using drugs everywhere," said Hore.