Objective: Substance use is a growing concern in Canada that is characterized by a multitude of contributing factors. Subsequently, there has been a rise in both the harms associated with substance use as well as substance-related acute toxicity deaths. This study will quantify stimulant toxicity deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador. Methods: This study used a retrospective cohort design to characterize the sample of patients who died via stimulant toxicity in NL from January 1st, 2020 to December 31st, 2023. Results: Stimulant-related deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador increased between 2020 (n=10) and 2023 (n=31); this increase is generally in line with national trends. Males consistently surpassed females for all stimulant-related drug toxicity deaths throughout our period of observation by large ratios. Both sexes have seen upward trends in total stimulant-related drug toxicity deaths for each year of observation. Stimulants were frequently used in conjunction with opioids. We were interested in the role of polysubstances within our sample and found that almost half (48.5%) of the substances involved in stimulant-related deaths contained opioids. Conclusion: Significant increases in stimulant-related mortality warrant further study of stimulant use in the country and reinforce the need to identify effective policy solutions. Almost all (96%) stimulant-related deaths reported in NL from 2020-2023 were accidental, further justifying the need for the identification of relevant risk factors and effective initiatives aimed at reducing stimulant misuse.
| Published in | World Journal of Public Health (Volume 10, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.15 |
| Page(s) | 120-128 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Toxic Drug Supply, Apparent Stimulant-related Toxicity Mortality, Newfoundland and Labrador, Health Canada, Substance-Related Harms Surveillance Models, Public Health
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APA Style
Whitten, C., Randell, S., Denic, N., Ibrahim, K. (2025). Population-Based Stimulant Toxicity Death Rate in Newfoundland and Labrador: A Retrospective Cohort Study. World Journal of Public Health, 10(2), 120-128. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.15
ACS Style
Whitten, C.; Randell, S.; Denic, N.; Ibrahim, K. Population-Based Stimulant Toxicity Death Rate in Newfoundland and Labrador: A Retrospective Cohort Study. World J. Public Health 2025, 10(2), 120-128. doi: 10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.15
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Download@article{10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.15,
author = {Cindy Whitten and Shane Randell and Nash Denic and Khadija Ibrahim},
title = {Population-Based Stimulant Toxicity Death Rate in Newfoundland and Labrador: A Retrospective Cohort Study
},
journal = {World Journal of Public Health},
volume = {10},
number = {2},
pages = {120-128},
doi = {10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.15},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.15},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.wjph.20251002.15},
abstract = {Objective: Substance use is a growing concern in Canada that is characterized by a multitude of contributing factors. Subsequently, there has been a rise in both the harms associated with substance use as well as substance-related acute toxicity deaths. This study will quantify stimulant toxicity deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador. Methods: This study used a retrospective cohort design to characterize the sample of patients who died via stimulant toxicity in NL from January 1st, 2020 to December 31st, 2023. Results: Stimulant-related deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador increased between 2020 (n=10) and 2023 (n=31); this increase is generally in line with national trends. Males consistently surpassed females for all stimulant-related drug toxicity deaths throughout our period of observation by large ratios. Both sexes have seen upward trends in total stimulant-related drug toxicity deaths for each year of observation. Stimulants were frequently used in conjunction with opioids. We were interested in the role of polysubstances within our sample and found that almost half (48.5%) of the substances involved in stimulant-related deaths contained opioids. Conclusion: Significant increases in stimulant-related mortality warrant further study of stimulant use in the country and reinforce the need to identify effective policy solutions. Almost all (96%) stimulant-related deaths reported in NL from 2020-2023 were accidental, further justifying the need for the identification of relevant risk factors and effective initiatives aimed at reducing stimulant misuse.
},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Population-Based Stimulant Toxicity Death Rate in Newfoundland and Labrador: A Retrospective Cohort Study AU - Cindy Whitten AU - Shane Randell AU - Nash Denic AU - Khadija Ibrahim Y1 - 2025/05/26 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.15 DO - 10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.15 T2 - World Journal of Public Health JF - World Journal of Public Health JO - World Journal of Public Health SP - 120 EP - 128 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2637-6059 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.15 AB - Objective: Substance use is a growing concern in Canada that is characterized by a multitude of contributing factors. Subsequently, there has been a rise in both the harms associated with substance use as well as substance-related acute toxicity deaths. This study will quantify stimulant toxicity deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador. Methods: This study used a retrospective cohort design to characterize the sample of patients who died via stimulant toxicity in NL from January 1st, 2020 to December 31st, 2023. Results: Stimulant-related deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador increased between 2020 (n=10) and 2023 (n=31); this increase is generally in line with national trends. Males consistently surpassed females for all stimulant-related drug toxicity deaths throughout our period of observation by large ratios. Both sexes have seen upward trends in total stimulant-related drug toxicity deaths for each year of observation. Stimulants were frequently used in conjunction with opioids. We were interested in the role of polysubstances within our sample and found that almost half (48.5%) of the substances involved in stimulant-related deaths contained opioids. Conclusion: Significant increases in stimulant-related mortality warrant further study of stimulant use in the country and reinforce the need to identify effective policy solutions. Almost all (96%) stimulant-related deaths reported in NL from 2020-2023 were accidental, further justifying the need for the identification of relevant risk factors and effective initiatives aimed at reducing stimulant misuse. VL - 10 IS - 2 ER -
Department of Research and Innovation, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, St. John's, NL, Canada;Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
Centre for Emergency Preparedness, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
Department of Forensic Pathology, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, St. John's, NL, Canada;Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
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