Observational studyDrug and alcohol dependence2018
Fentanyl and heroin contained in seized illicit drugs and overdose-related deaths in British Columbia, Canada: An observational analysis.
Observational study in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 40 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 82 citations in OpenAlex.
- The association between methamphetamine use and number of sexual partners in men who have sex with men: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2022Pooled it
- Retention in opioid agonist treatment: a rapid review and meta-analysis comparing observational studies and randomized controlled trials.Systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Fentanyl purity and overdose decline: A reexamination of geographic trends.Science advances · 2026Article
- Fentanyl Purity and Overdose Decline: A Reexamination of Geographic Trends.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Trends in fentanyl-containing drug samples seized by law enforcement agencies across Canada.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Article
- Sexually transmitted and bloodborne infections testing among people who use substances: findings from the 2023 British Columbia Harm Reduction Client Survey.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- How population-level drug supply data are integrated into health outcomes research: a scoping review.Epidemiologic reviews · 2026Article
- The opioid flexion phenotype: postural flexion and nodding in the fentanyl era.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
- Substances and substance combinations among accidental substance-related acute toxicity deaths (AATDs) in Canada from 2016 to 2017.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Substance-related poisoning hospitalizations and homelessness in Canada: a descriptive study.Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2024Article
- Marked Increase in Amphetamine-Related Emergency Department Visits and Inpatient Admissions in Toronto, Canada, 2014-2021.Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2023Article
- Trends of repeated emergency department visits among adolescents and young adults for substance use: A repeated cross-sectional study.PloS one · 2023Article
- Crack cocaine use frequency is associated with HIV disease severity independent of antiretroviral therapy exposure: a prospective cohort study.AIDS and behavior · 2022Article
- Violence, policing, and systemic racism as structural barriers to substance use treatment amongst women sex workers who use drugs: Findings of a community-based cohort in Vancouver, Canada (2010-2019).Drug and alcohol dependence · 2022Article
- Changes in the unregulated opioid drug supply during income assistance payment weeks in Vancouver, Canada: An exploratory analysis.The International journal on drug policy · 2022Article
- Trends in dispensing of individual prescription opioid formulations, Canada 2005-2020.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2022Article
- Towards cross-Canada monitoring of the unregulated street drug supply.BMC public health · 2021Article
- The effect of depressive symptoms on pain in a substance-using population with persistent pain: a cross-sectional cohort study.BMC psychiatry · 2021Article
- Correlations between Changes in Medical Opioid Dispensing and Contributions of Fentanyl to Opioid-Related Overdose Fatalities: Exploratory Analyses from Canada.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- 'Resurgent', 'twin' or 'silent' epidemic? A select data overview and observations on increasing psycho-stimulant use and harms in North America.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDue to the alarming rise in opioid-related overdose deaths, a public health emergency was declared in British Columbia (BC). In this study, we examined the relationship between illicit fentanyl and heroin found in seized drugs and illicit overdose deaths in BC.
methodsAn observational cross-sectional survey was conducted using BC data from Health Canada's Drug Analysis Service, which analyzes drug samples seized by law enforcement agencies, and non-intentional illicit overdoses from the BC Coroner's Service, from 2000 to 2016. Initial scatter plots and subsequent multivariate regression analysis were performed to describe the potential relationship between seized illicit fentanyl samples and overdose deaths and to determine if this differed from seized heroin and overdose deaths. Fentanyl samples were analyzed for other drug content.
resultsFentanyl is increasingly being found combined with other opioid and non-opioid illicit drugs. Strong positive relationships were found between the number of seized fentanyl samples and total overdose deaths (R2 = 0.97) as well as between seized fentanyl and fentanyl-detected overdose deaths (R2 = 0.99). A positive association was found between the number of seized heroin samples and total overdose deaths (R2 = 0.78).
conclusionThis research contributes to the expanding body of evidence implicating illicit fentanyl use (often combined with heroin or other substances) in overdose deaths in BC. Policy makers and healthcare providers are urged to implement drug treatment and harm reduction strategies for people at risk of overdose associated with current trends in illicit opioid use.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.