Target: Dr Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health, Toronto, Ontario
Goal: Strengthen controls, surveillance, and public warnings after animal tranquilizers entered Toronto’s drug supply and caused severe harm.
Toronto’s unregulated drug supply has become increasingly dangerous with the widespread presence of powerful animal tranquilizers not approved for human use. Drug checking data show that substances such as medetomidine and xylazine are now routinely mixed into fentanyl, creating a toxic and unpredictable cocktail that places users at extreme risk of overdose, organ damage, and death.
Medetomidine, a long-acting veterinary anesthetic, has rapidly overtaken other contaminants and is now detected in the majority of fentanyl samples tested in the city. These drugs cause profound sedation, dangerously low heart rate and blood pressure, and suppressed breathing. Unlike opioids, their effects cannot be reversed with naloxone, leaving first responders and emergency physicians with limited tools to save lives.
This crisis has resulted in thousands of toxicity deaths in Toronto over the past decade and continues to endanger people who have no way of knowing what they are consuming. When animal-only sedatives infiltrate the drug supply, urgent public health action is required to prevent further loss of life and to inform, protect, and support affected communities.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Dr de Villa,
We are writing to express serious concern over the growing presence of animal tranquilizers in Toronto’s unregulated drug supply. Substances such as medetomidine and xylazine, which are not approved for human consumption, are now commonly detected in fentanyl and are contributing to severe overdoses that cannot be reversed with naloxone.
Emergency physicians and harm reduction workers report that these drugs cause extreme sedation, dangerously low vital signs, and long-term organ damage. Their presence has made overdose response more difficult and has increased the risk of fatal outcomes, even when medical help is provided quickly.
We respectfully urge Toronto Public Health to strengthen monitoring, issue clearer public warnings, expand drug checking services, and work with provincial and federal partners to restrict access to veterinary sedatives being diverted into the drug supply. Decisive public health leadership is essential to prevent further harm and save lives.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: The Amur Tiger Programme, Russian Academy of Sciences
