A terrifying new blend of drugs has shown up in the Downtown Eastside that resembles a mix of heroin and the extremely powerful psychedelic substance known as DMT.
Harm-reduction advocates and front-line addiction workers began seeing the highly-potent mix show up only within the last week.
The concoction is ingested intravenously, though what the exact contents are is unclear. The powder that accompanies the heroin appears to be grey in colour.
Munroe Craig, a co-founder of the harm reduction group known as Karmik, hasn’t treated or witnessed anyone under the influence of the new drug, but others in her field have reported those types of overdose situations consistently since June 21.
“For about 25 minutes, they experience delusions, crying and a complete disassociation from reality,” she said. “Often times they’ll be hiding under tables, really anxious and paranoid about cameras and going through really vivid hallucinations.”
Vancouver Police Department Const. Jason Doucette told the Courier Wednesday that the department isn’t aware of the new drug. Doucette noted the VPD typically doesn’t attend non-fatal overdoses unless they are thought to be a suicide attempt, or if emergency health services or fire crews are in danger.
“We do this to encourage people to call 911 if they are experiencing or witnessing an overdose without fear of facing legal consequences from police,” he said via email.
Vancouver Coastal Health was made aware of the new drug last week.
“We are aware of this situation since late last week. As such, information is shared with people who are in contact/provide care/provide services for clients that use street drugs in Vancouver,” spokesperson Anna Marie D'Angelo told the Courier in an email.
Usually referred to by its acronym, DMT stands for N,N-Dimethyltryptamine and is a naturally occurring compound found in many plants and animals. Its effects are short-lasting, but infinitely more intense than other psychedelics such as LSD or magic mushrooms.
Craig said reports over the last week indicate those overdosing experience anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes’ worth of DMT-like symptoms. From there, an overdose attributed to heroin can kick in.
“When they come out of it, they’re still super emotional and crying,” she said. “But before that time, there are no signs of the overdose, which is really strange.”
Craig said the substance has also been circulating in parts of Surrey. Reports of overdoses attributed to the new drug have surfaced daily in both cities.
“Definitely be cautious about anything that looks to be a grey powder. Never use alone and always have naloxone on you for the subsequent overdose,” she said.
