Nearly a half-dozen major Canadian cities reported drug use declined in the early months of the pandemic. Findings were based on tests of sewage samples, said Blacklock’s Reporter..“Results from wastewater show levels of cannabis metabolite in wastewater increased in the initial months of the pandemic compared with early 2020 before reverting to pre-pandemic levels,” the agency wrote in a Wastewater Analysis. Marijuana use overall declined in the period from February to July last year..The agency tested sewage samples in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montréal and Halifax. Findings showed cocaine use fell in all five cities during the six-month period. Use of fentanyl declined in all cities but Edmonton. Methamphetamine use fell in Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax..StatsCan introduced sewage sample testing in 2018. “The most important thing is to see trends over time,” Anthony Peluso, assistant director at StatsCan, said at the time..Sewage samples were rated more reliable and less costly than written questionnaires that asked Canadians to volunteer information on their drug use. “It is not expensive,” said Peluso. “For one city for one month’s worth of data it is about $1,000. It’s very economical.”.The most recent data show fentanyl use is highest in Vancouver, nearly 10 times the rate of other cities, with methamphetamine use more common in Edmonton at rates more than four times higher than those in Toronto or Montréal..Residents of Halifax are the heaviest marijuana users. Rates of cocaine use are comparable among all cities except Vancouver, which had a lower rate of consumption..Similar sewage surveys internationally have also tracked drinking and smoking habits. Australia’s Criminal Intelligence Commission in 2017 said residents in the remote rural Northern Territory were the heaviest drinkers and smokers in the country, while Western Australians used more methamphetamine..European Union data show Danes are the heaviest drinkers on the continent while Italians are the heaviest smokers. Rates of cocaine use were highest in Switzerland, while Slovakia had the highest consumption of crystal methamphetamine..Municipal sewer managers volunteer for sampling through the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association. In a 2018 trial project, sewage samples were taken every 30 minutes in the second week of each month..“The pilot test results have provided new perspectives on drug use across several large urban centers in Canada and provided many instructive lessons on the potential value of wastewater sampling as a data source,” said a 2019 StatsCan report Wastewater-Based Estimates Of Cannabis And Drug Use In Canada. “It shows potential as a data source to measure total drug use of some drugs at the city level.”.Mike D’Amour is the British Columbia Bureau Chief for the Western Standard..,.mdamour@westernstandardonline.com
Nearly a half-dozen major Canadian cities reported drug use declined in the early months of the pandemic. Findings were based on tests of sewage samples, said Blacklock’s Reporter..“Results from wastewater show levels of cannabis metabolite in wastewater increased in the initial months of the pandemic compared with early 2020 before reverting to pre-pandemic levels,” the agency wrote in a Wastewater Analysis. Marijuana use overall declined in the period from February to July last year..The agency tested sewage samples in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montréal and Halifax. Findings showed cocaine use fell in all five cities during the six-month period. Use of fentanyl declined in all cities but Edmonton. Methamphetamine use fell in Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax..StatsCan introduced sewage sample testing in 2018. “The most important thing is to see trends over time,” Anthony Peluso, assistant director at StatsCan, said at the time..Sewage samples were rated more reliable and less costly than written questionnaires that asked Canadians to volunteer information on their drug use. “It is not expensive,” said Peluso. “For one city for one month’s worth of data it is about $1,000. It’s very economical.”.The most recent data show fentanyl use is highest in Vancouver, nearly 10 times the rate of other cities, with methamphetamine use more common in Edmonton at rates more than four times higher than those in Toronto or Montréal..Residents of Halifax are the heaviest marijuana users. Rates of cocaine use are comparable among all cities except Vancouver, which had a lower rate of consumption..Similar sewage surveys internationally have also tracked drinking and smoking habits. Australia’s Criminal Intelligence Commission in 2017 said residents in the remote rural Northern Territory were the heaviest drinkers and smokers in the country, while Western Australians used more methamphetamine..European Union data show Danes are the heaviest drinkers on the continent while Italians are the heaviest smokers. Rates of cocaine use were highest in Switzerland, while Slovakia had the highest consumption of crystal methamphetamine..Municipal sewer managers volunteer for sampling through the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association. In a 2018 trial project, sewage samples were taken every 30 minutes in the second week of each month..“The pilot test results have provided new perspectives on drug use across several large urban centers in Canada and provided many instructive lessons on the potential value of wastewater sampling as a data source,” said a 2019 StatsCan report Wastewater-Based Estimates Of Cannabis And Drug Use In Canada. “It shows potential as a data source to measure total drug use of some drugs at the city level.”.Mike D’Amour is the British Columbia Bureau Chief for the Western Standard..,.mdamour@westernstandardonline.com
