Release Date
Geography
Language of Resource
Full Text Available
Open Access / OK to Reproduce
Peer Reviewed
Objective
This study aims were to describe trends in accidental stimulant toxicity deaths and to characterize demographic characteristics of decedents and the circumstances surrounding death.
Findings/Key points
Between 2018 and 2021, 5210 stimulant toxicity deaths were identified with the monthly rate rising from 0.4 to 1.0 per 100,000. Both cocaine and methamphetamine were involved in 16.2 % of deaths, and 56.2 % and 27.7 % involved cocaine or methamphetamine (without other stimulants), respectively. Over 80 % of deaths also involved an opioid. Among all deaths, 75.2 % of decedents were male, 53.1 % were aged 25–44, and over half of all deaths occurred in private residences (64.7 %).
Design/methods
This is a population-based repeated cross-sectional study of all accidental stimulant toxicity deaths between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2021, in Ontario, Canada.
