The NWT government says its coroners are the first in Canada to use – “as part of standard practice” – a tool that helps to rapidly identify toxic drug-related deaths.
The Randox MultiStat analyzer can look for dozens of substances in a single sample of oral fluid, urine or blood, the manufacturer says.
In the NWT, the coroner has been given the analyzers to allow “rapid toxicology screening of substances involved in suspicious deaths.”
In a news release, the territory said that would help the chief coroner and chief public health officer “take swift action to protect the public.”
For years, the territory has warned of an increase in drug contamination and, as a consequence, drug poisoning deaths.
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Wednesday’s news release stated drug-related deaths had “become a significant challenge” in the NWT.
Previously, the territory said, urine samples took two to three weeks’ processing before the results were available. Blood and oral fluid samples had to be sent south and often took more than a month to deliver results.
The Randox equipment, which has been approved by Health Canada, “can detect multiple drugs in under 30 minutes,” the GNWT stated. Fentanyl, methamphetamine and benzodiazepine – all of which have featured in recent territorial warnings – are among the substances that can be quickly identified.
The NWT government said that will mean “faster public notification of dangerous drugs circulating in communities or the territory.”
“The Northwest Territories is one of few jurisdictions in Canada using this tool to protect public health, and the first to include this technology as part of standard practice for coroners,” the GNWT concluded.
