Hay River RCMP recently dealt with a peculiar event that walked right into their own office!
On February 21st, an adult male entered the front lobby of the Detachment building, where he immediately became unresponsive and showed signs of an opioid overdose. Officers were quick to step in, administering Naloxone and calling EMS.
Once paramedics arrived on the scene, they administered additional doses of Naloxone. They then brought the man to the hospital, where he regained consciousness.
The man told the police that he had consumed Psilocybin, commonly referred to as “Magic Mushrooms”. Drugs like this do not normally cause the medical conditions that this man experienced, leaving police to suspect that his supply may have been contaminated with Fentanyl, or Carfentanil without him knowing.
This is not the first case of recreational drugs being contaminated by opioids, which police say highlights how dangerous drugs can be. The RCMP would also like the public to be aware that that Naloxone is available for free at any Health Centre or pharmacy in the NWT. It is easy to administer and can save the life of a person who is experiencing a drug overdose.
NWT residents who use drugs or have friends and family who are drug users are encouraged to carry Naloxone with them and recognize signs of an overdose. These symptoms include slowed/slurred speech, pin-point pupils, loss of consciousness and shallow breathing. The RCMP would also like to remind drug users to not consume drugs alone, as most fatal overdoses occur when there is nobody around to recognize the symptoms and assist.
