Cocaine has been identified as the leading cause of overdose deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador and the RCMP and Chief Medical Examiner’s Office are warning users of the dangers.
RCMP say street level quantities of the drug are of an “extremely high potency.”
The OCME has reported a total of 158 toxicity deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador between 2023-2024, of which 87 per cent were accidental deaths. 49 per cent of those deaths involved cocaine alone, while 18 per cent involved fentanyl and/or analogs of fentanyl alone.
In the remaining deaths, a number of other drugs were detected, including other stimulants such as methylphenidate, ecstasy (MDMA), and amphetamines, other opioids such as morphine, hydromorphone, oxycodone, as well as various Benzodiazepines.
While fentanyl is a highly toxic and dangerous substance, the office of the Chief Medical Examiner has confirmed that cocaine is the most prevalent cause of death, though there has been a marked increase in deaths related to both drugs since 2023.
Dr. Nash Denic says cocaine has caused “significant harm” in this province. He says the number of deaths where cocaine has been implicated has risen steadily since 2021 with sharp increases in 2023 and 2024.
