Cocaine, MDMA linked to growing number of overdose deaths in Canada: StatCan
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Stimulant drugs including cocaine, MDMA and multiple types of amphetamines contributed to roughly half of all accidental overdose deaths in Canada from 2020 to 2021, according to a new report by Statistics Canada that also tracked a sharp rise in overdoses.
Stimulant drugs including cocaine, MDMA and multiple types of amphetamines contributed to roughly half of all accidental overdose deaths in Canada from 2020 to 2021, according to a new report by Statistics Canada that also tracked a sharp rise in overdoses.
The agency highlighted that, in addition to controlled substances like speed and crystal meth, amphetamines can also include medications prescribed to treat conditions like attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
StatCan discovered the trend in new data released today from the Canadian Wastewater Survey (CWS), and found that drug overdoses in Canada also increased by more than 30 per cent during the same period.
Since 2019, CWS has regularly collected wastewater samples from municipalities across the country to test for various drugs, including stimulants.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
