More and more overdoses linked to crystal meth in Quebec

A sign that this extremely dangerous and addictive drug has indeed gained ground in Quebec, the number of overdoses linked to the consumption of crystal meth is on the rise.

• Also read: Quebec, capital of “crystal meth”: SQ police officers seized more than 63 kilos last year

At least that’s what the Quebec Public Health Department observes.

“We often hear about overdoses of stimulants [comme la méthamphétamine]. We are seeing more and more of them,” mentions the D^re Anne-Frédérique Lambert-Slythe, specialist doctor at the Public Health Department of the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale and clinical doctor at the Addiction Rehabilitation Center of Quebec.

According to the CIUSSS, a third of the substances identified in fatal overdoses in 2022 and 2023 in the region were stimulants. Data for 2024 is not yet available.

“In recent years, we have seen a trend [chez les consommateurs] to switch from cocaine to methamphetamine, whether by injection or inhalation. It’s a question of price, since it’s much cheaper and [plus accessible]», specifies the specialist doctor.

Data from the Coroner’s Office, including more than 1,350 reports linked to fatal overdoses in Quebec, compiled by the newspaper, also reveal that province-wide, nearly 39% of overdose deaths since 2021 have been linked to methamphetamine use.

The D^re Lambert-Slythe also mentions that no drug treatment is available to help meth users.

There is also no antidote to reverse overdoses, like naloxone does for opioids.

“It’s a problem that is still very worrying. […] since we see more and more toxic psychoses linked to this […] We see that our patients are more and more why“, she said.

The consumption of crystal meth can also cause heart problems, sores on the skin or gums.

In the event of overdoses, several symptoms are observed, including anxiety, feelings of persecution, paranoia, altered heart rate, as well as hallucinations and convulsions which can lead to loss of consciousness.

Full capacity

At the Interzone, the supervised consumption center located on rue Saint-Vallier Est, the two spaces for inhalation drug consumption, including the crystal methare used at “full capacity”.

“We see that it is becoming a problem, because people are waiting to come and consume by inhalation […]. We had not anticipated that there would be [aurait] as much [que] that at the start […]. We had configured more injection, so there is a lack of cubicles for inhaling,” explains the D^re Lambert-Slythe.

She adds that queues regularly form outside the center, sometimes causing “more complicated” situations.

“They are sometimes less patient, more irritable people,” says the doctor.

On average, the Interzone, open since March 31, 2021, receives between 90 and 100 visitors daily.

No other openings to come

Despite the meteoric rise in drug consumption by inhalation in the province, no provision of additional space allowing the consumption of drugs by inhalation is expected, Santé Québec tells us.

Currently, only four centers in Quebec offer supervised consumption services by inhalation, namely in Quebec, Gatineau, Laval and Montreal.

– With the collaboration of Charles Mathieu

Number of fatal overdoses involving methamphetamine in Quebec since 2021

• Montréal: 120
• Québec: 57
• Gatineau: 28
• Longueuil: 24
• Sherbrooke: 17
• Trois-Rivières: 15
• Total in Quebec: 524 cases since 2021

Source: Coroner’s Office

Artificial intelligence was used to find cases in coroner’s reports where methamphetamine was found in the toxicology analysis.

The interzone in figures

• 2021-2022: nearly 8,500 visits (opening March 31, 2021)
• 2022-2023: nearly 20,000 visits
• 2023-2024: 25,501 visits
• From 1^is April 2024 to January 11, 2025: 26,662 visits
• Distribution by gender: 73% men – 26% women

Source: CIUSSS and SABSA