The GNWT and are pointing to each other when asked whether more people in the Northwest Territories are using needles to consume drugs.
On May 7, Dr. Kami Kandola, the territory's chief public health officer, warned residents of a new drug combination circulating in the territory. In that announcement, the Department of Health and Social Services noted there were five opioid-related deaths in four different communities last year.
SA国际影视传媒淎ll of these incidents show a shift in the NWTSA国际影视传媒檚 illicit drug profile that is concerning,SA国际影视传媒� the release stated.
SA国际影视传媒 reached out to KandolaSA国际影视传媒檚 office to ask whether this shift indicates more people are injecting drugs. Andrew Wind, a spokesperson for the department, said the was likely the best group to speak to about that.
spokesperson Cst. Josh Seaward said that overall, Yellowknife have not observed an increase in people using needles to consume illicit drugs. However, he added that the Chief Public Health Officer may be better positioned to identify trends among injection drug users and could provide more insight into the associated risks.
Seaward acknowledged that some aspects of the shift in drug use could lead to more people using needles, but not exclusively.
"Quite commonly we see fentanyl being mixed with crack here, sometimes called 'brown-crack.' This substance is generally smoked," said Seaward.
He added that methamphetamine can also be smoked or consumed in other ways. But, he noted it is hard to pinpoint where needles originate from as they can be purchased or obtained freely in a number of places, including online in bulk.
Seaward said fentanyl can be consumed by injection, but determining that based on physical evidence is challenging.
"We generally arenSA国际影视传媒檛 able to determine what drug has been used based on the appearance of a syringe alone," he said. "As we do not often send used syringes for definitive testing in the course of our duties, any answer we could provide here would be speculative."
Using needles is one of the most dangerous ways to consume illicit drugs, Seaward added.
"Injecting drugs directly into the bloodstream results in rapid effects that are difficult to control, increasing the risk of overdose. Needles themselves also pose a risk of infection, especially when shared with another person."
As of March 2025, say they have made 26 arrests related to fentanyl trafficking in the NWT over the past eight years. Between April 1, 2020, and March 12, 2025, just three arrests were made for fentanyl possession.
According to Health Canada, the NWT saw five opioid-related deaths per 100,000 people in the first nine months of 2024. With a territorial population of about 45,000, that amounts to approximately two opioid toxicity deaths between January and September of that year.
The Department of Health and Social Services has also stated non-fatal overdoses are not reported in the territory. However, between 2016 and 2024, the NWT recorded 19 fatal fentanyl-related overdoses.
