At-a-glance: Newly reported psychoactive substances in Canada 2020-2021

On this page

• Summary
• Context
• Aim
• Data limitations
• Analytical methods
• Classification
• Geographical locations
• Physical description
• Frequency of detections
• Co-detections
• Conclusion
• Suggested Citation
• Reference

Summary

• Forty-two new psychoactive substances detected in Canada between January 2020 and December 2021.
• In total, there were eleven new Opioids, nine new Hallucinogen, five new Stimulants and four new Depressants.
• A majority of detections were reported from samples submitted by the province of Ontario.
• Among new opioids, Nitazenes (Etodesnitazene, Metonitazene and Protonitazene) were most frequently detected.

Context

Between January 2020 and December 2021, there were 42 new psychoactive substances detected.

Aim

The aim of this report is to describe new psychoactive substances which emerged in Canada since 2020.

Data limitations

This report draws on data made available by the Drug Analysis Service which regularly analyses seized drug exhibits submitted by Canadian Law Enforcement agencies. Some limitations govern the present data. First, law enforcement agencies submit samples for laboratory analysis on a voluntary basis. Therefore, a limited number of samples are analyzed for each substance; low number of samples may not provide an accurate picture of currently circulating substances and analyzed samples may not be representative of seized substances. In addition, analyzed samples may not be representative of substances circulating on the market as a number of factors may influence substances submitted by Canadian Law Enforcement agencies and reporting, such as increased awareness of substances and law enforcement capacities and priorities.

Analytical methods

Identification and confirmation of NPS required various analytical techniques. General analytical methods are described below.

First, when comparing to a verified reference material two tests are required; typically Gas Chromatography Flame Ionization Detection (GC-FID) and a spectroscopic technique such as Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) or an Infrared spectroscopy (IR) technique such as solid phase IR or GC-IR.

In certain cases, a reference material cannot be verified using Mass Spectrometry (MS) or Infrared Spectroscopy due to lack of published literature and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR) is employed to verify the standard so the MS and IR spectra can be used for comparison purposes.

In rare cases where a reference standard is not available, literature reference can be used to identify a compound where appropriate. If literature reference cannot be found, a complete structure elucidation of the compound is made using various 1H and 13C techniques 1-dimensional and 2-dimensional experiments, coupled with accurate mass MS spectra and derived chemical formula.

Classification

Since 2020, there were eleven new Opioids, nine new Hallucinogen, five new Stimulants and four new Depressants.

Figure 1 - Text description

Pharmacological Class	2020	2021	Total
Cannabimimetic	10	1	11
Depressant	5	255	260
Dissociative	2	23	25
Hallucinogen	2	13	15
Opioid	94	786	880
SARMS	-	4	4
Stimulant	10	23	33
Unclassified	2	12	14

Table 1: Number of new reports by Class (N=42)

Pharmacological Class	Chemical Class	N	(% total)
Cannabimimetic	Cannabinoid & Mimetics Class	2	(4.8%)
Depressant	Benzodiazepine (BZD) Class	3	(7.1%)
	Quinazolinone (Quaalude) Class	1	(2.4%)
	Total	4	n/a
Dissociative	Ketamine Class	3	(7.1%)
Hallucinogen	Arylcyclohexylamine (PCP) Class	2	(4.8%)
	Lysergic Acid (LSD) Class	1	(2.4%)
	Phenethylamines (Main) Class	1	(2.4%)
	Tryptamine Class	5	(11.9%)
	Total	9	n/a
Opioid	Fentanyl (Sub) Class	4	(9.5%)
	Opioid Class (Non-Fentanyl, Non-Opiates)	7	(16.7%)
	Total	11	n/a
SARMS	Selective Androgen (Or Estrogen) Receptor Modulator (SARM/SERM) Class	1	(2.4%)
Stimulant	Amphetamine / Methamphetamine (Sub) Class	2	(4.8%)
	Cathinone (Sub) Class	3	(7.1%)
	Total	5	n/a
Other substances	Phenethylamines (Main) Class	1	(2.4%)
	Precursor / Key Intermediate / Reagent	2	(4.8%)
	Other (Drug) Prescription, OTC, Or Illicit	4	(9.5%)
	Total	7	n/a

Geographical locations

A majority of NPS identifications were detected in Ontario.

Figure 2 – Text description

Pharmacological Class	Alberta		British Columbia		Manitoba		New Brunswick		Nova Scotia		Ontario		Quebec		Saskatchewan
	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Cannabimimetic	2	1.09%	9	5.88%	-	0.00%	-	0.00%	-	0.00%	-	0.00%	-	0.00%	-	0.00%
Depressant	115	62.50%	24	15.69%	-	0.00%	-	0.00%	-	0.00%	112	13.91%	5	2.65%	4	36.36%
Dissociative	5	2.72%	1	0.65%	-	0.00%	-	0.00%	1	16.67%	1	0.12%	17	8.99%	-	0.00%
Hallucinogen	1	0.54%	4	2.61%	1	33.33%	-	0.00%	3	50.00%	4	0.50%	2	1.06%	-	0.00%
Opioid	51	27.72%	98	64.05%	-	0.00%	19	95.00%	2	33.33%	684	84.97%	139	73.54%	3	27.27%
SARMS	1	0.54%	-	0.00%	-	0.00%	-	0.00%	-	0.00%	-	0.00%	3	1.59%	-	0.00%
Stimulant	9	4.89%	3	1.96%	2	66.67%	-	0.00%	-	0.00%	3	0.37%	15	7.94%	4	36.36%
Unclassified	-	0.00%	14	9.15%	-	0.00%	1	5.00%	-	0.00%	1	0.12%	8	4.23%	-	0.00%
Total	184	100.00%	153	100.00%	3	100.00%	20	100.00%	6	100.00%	805	100.00%	189	100.00%	11	100.00%

Table 2: Number of identifications per Province or Territory (N = 1093)

Province	N (% total)
Alberta	184 (13.4%)
British Columbia	153 (11.2%)
Manitoba	3 (0.2%)
New Brunswick	20 (1.5%)
Nova Scotia	6 (0.4%)
Ontario	805 (58.7%)
Quebec	189 (13.8%)
Saskatchewan	11 (0.8%)

Table 3: First detection of new psychoactive substances

Pharmacological Class	Chemical Class	Drug name	Date Received	City	Province	Description
Cannabimimetic	Cannabinoid & Mimetics Class	4-cyano CUMYL-BUTINACA	February 27, 2020	Richmond	British Columbia	Powder
		ACHMINACA	March 4, 2020	Lloydminster	Alberta	Powder
Depressant	Benzodiazepine (BZD) Class	Bromazolam	January 21, 2021	Calgary	Alberta	Powder Tablets Residue Rock-like solid
		Chlorodiazepam	April 29, 2021	Westmount	Quebec	Tablets
		Norfludiazepam	March 10, 2021	Brantford	Ontario	Powder
	Quinazolinone (Quaalude) Class	SL-164	September 2, 2020	Vancouver	British Columbia	Powder Resinous substance
Dissociative	Ketamine Class	Deoxymethoxetamine	November 24, 2020	Banff	Alberta	Powder
		Deschloro-N-ethyl-ketamine	November 24, 2020	Banff	Alberta	Powder
		Methoxisopropamine	November 24, 2020	Banff	Alberta	Powder
Hallucinogen	Arylcyclohexylamine (PCP) Class	3-hydroxy PCE	September 11, 2020	Darmouth	Nova Scotia	Powder
		Fluoro phencyclidine	October 27, 2020	Mission	British Columbia	Crystalline substance
	Lysergic Acid (LSD) Class	1-cyclopropionyl LSD	February 11, 2021	Gatineau	Quebec	Blotter paper
	Phenethylamines (Main) Class	Methallylescaline	December 23, 2020	Napanee	Ontario	Powder
	Tryptamine Class	4-Acetoxy MALT	September 10, 2020	Ottawa	Ontario	Powder
		4-acetoxy MET	November 23, 2020	Nanaimo	British Columbia	Powder
		4-acetoxy-N-methyl-N-Isopropyltryptamine	November 9, 2020	New Westminster	British Columbia	Powder
		5-methoxy-N-methyl-N-allyltryptamine	November 9, 2020	New Westminster	British Columbia	Resinous substance
		Ethylpropyltryptamine	September 10, 2020	Ottawa	Ontario	Residue
Opioid	Fentanyl (Sub) Class	Bromofentanyl	August 12, 2021	Burnaby	British Columbia	Powder
		Chlorofentanyl	April 23, 2020	Vernon	British Columbia	Powder Residue
		Hexanoyl fentanyl	May 28, 2020	Cambridge	Ontario	Powder
		para-Fluorofentanyl	April 9, 2021	Akwesasne	Ontario	Powder Residue Rock-like solid
	Opioid Class (Non-Fentanyl, Non-Opiates)	5-Aminoisotonitazene	July 29, 2021	Toronto	Ontario	Syringe
		Etodesnitazene	June 26, 2020	Granby	Quebec	Powder Residue Material Syringe
		Flunitazene	December 9, 2020	Hamilton	Ontario	Powder Residue
		Metonitazene	August 21, 2020	Hamilton	Ontario	Powder Residue Rock-like solid
		N-Pyrrolidino Etonitazene (Etonitazepyne)	May 7, 2021	Napanee	Ontario	Powder Residue Tablets
		Protonitazene	December 30, 2020	Quebec	Quebec	Tablets Powder Residue
		W-19	April 26, 2021	Victoria	British Columbia	Powder
SARMS	Selective Androgen (Or Estrogen) Receptor Modulator (SARM/SERM) Class	RAD140	October 19, 2020	Lethbridge	Alberta	Tablets Liquid
Stimulant	Amphetamine / Methamphetamine (Sub) Class	N,N-dimethyl-3,4-dimethoxyamphetamine	November 27, 2019	Sylvan Lake	Alberta	Tablets
		N-pyrrolidino-3,4-dimethoxyamphetamine	November 27, 2019	Sylvan Lake	Alberta	Tablets
	Cathinone (Sub) Class	4'-fluoro-3'-methyl-alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone	September 23, 2020	Aurora	Alberta	Tablets Powder Rock-like solid
		alpha-Pyrrolidino-2-phenylacetophenone	December 17, 2020	Longueuil	Quebec	Powder
		alpha-Pyrrolidinocyclohexanophenone	March 25, 2021	Laval	Quebec	Crystalline substance
Other substances	Phenethylamines (Main) Class	4-Fluorophenibut	June 22, 2021	Saint-Clet	Quebec	Powder
	Precursor / Key Intermediate / Reagent	Methyl 2-phenylacetoacetate	September 2, 2020	Vancouver	British Columbia	Powder
		1-Benzyl-4-piperidone	August 14, 2020	Milton	Ontario	Powder
	Other (Drug) Prescription, Otc, Or Illicit	1-(1,3-Benzodioxol-5-yl)-2,2-dibromo-1-pentanone	August 24, 2020	Nanaimo	British Columbia	Powder Crystalline substance
		Bromantane	September 2, 2020	Jonquière	Quebec	Powder
		Octodrine	December 22, 2020	Woodstock	New Brunswick	Powder
		Tiletamine	March 4, 2020	Lloydminster	Alberta	Powder Crystalline substance

Physical description

Frequently detected emerging psychoactive substances are most often found in powder or tablet form.

Figure 3 – Text description

Substance	Crystalline n	Material n	Powder n	Residue n	Rock-like solid (crack) n	Syringe n	Tablets n
4'-fluoro-3'-methyl-alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone	-	-	3	-	1	-	9
Bromazolam	-	-	194	4	4	-	23
Chlorofentanyl	-	-	26	1	-	-	-
Etodesnitazene	-	3	317	11	-	1	-
Metonitazene	-	-	325	12	1	-	-
Norfludiazepam	-	-	24	5	-	-	-
N-Pyrrolidino Etonitazene (Etonitazepyne)	-	-	40	3	-	-	1
para-Fluorofentanyl	-	-	80	2	1	-	-
Protonitazene	-	-	8	2	-	-	150
Tiletamine	2	-	19	-	-	-	-
Total	2	3	1036	40	7	1	183

Frequency of detections

Nitazenes (Etodesnitazene, Metonitazene and Protonitazene) were among the most frequently detected new psychoactive substances. The benzodiazepine Bromazolam was also among the most frequently detected NPS since it first emerged.

Table 4: Number of detections between 2020 - 2021 for most frequently detected substances of interest

Drug name	Detections (n)
Metonitazene	338
Etodesnitazene	332
Bromazolam	225
Protonitazene	160
para-Fluorofentanyl	83
N-Pyrrolidino Etonitazene (Etonitazepyne)	44
Norfludiazepam	29
Chlorofentanyl	27
Tiletamine	21
Methyl 2-phenylacetoacetate	20
N-pyrrolidino-3,4-dimethoxyamphetamine	14
4'-fluoro-3'-methyl-alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone	13

Co-detections

Nitazenes Etodesnitazene and Metonitazene were frequently detected with Fentanyl, Dimethylsulphone and other nitazenes. Bromazolam was also frequently co-detected with Fentanyl. The co-involvement of stimulants, benzodiazepines and alcohol has been identified as one of the key drivers in the worsening of opioid-related deaths in North America.^{Footnote 1}

Figure 4 – Text description

Figure 4A: Co-detections for Etodesnitazene

Substance	n
Caffeine	323
Fentanyl	321
Dimethylsulphone	198
Etizolam	149
Metonitazene	111
Flubromazolam	46
Cocaine	32
Diacetylmorphine	32
Phenacetin	25
Methamphetamine	22
Bromazolam	11
Dextromethorphan	11

Figure 4B: Co-detections for Metonitazene

Substance	n
Caffeine	325
Fentanyl	312
Etizolam	172
Dimethylsulphone	171
Etodesnitazene	111
Flubromazolam	46
Cocaine	44
Bromazolam	18
Phenacetin	18
Diphenhydramine	14
Methamphetamine	13
Flualprazolam	10
Lidocaine	10

Figure 4C: Co-detections for Bromazolam

Substance	n
Caffeine	196
Fentanyl	188
Flubromazepam	73
Dimethylsulphone	51
Diphenhydramine	38
Etizolam	38
Lidocaine	21
Metonitazene	18
Carfentanil	17
Flualprazolam	16
Cocaine	12
Flubromazolam	12
Phenacetin	12
Etodesnitazene	11

Conclusion

This short report describes 42 new psychoactive substances (NPS) first detected in Canada between 2020 and 2021, including emerging Opioids (11), Hallucinogens (9), Stimulants (5) and Depressants (4). Over half (58.7%) of NPS were detected in Ontario. Frequently detected NPS were most often found in powder or tablet form. They include Nitazenes Metonitazene (n=338, opioid class), Etodesnitazene (n=332, opioid class) and Protonitazene (n=160, opioid class) as well as the Benzodiazepine Bromazolam (n=225, depressant class). Finally, frequently co-detected substances with Metonitazene, Etodesnitazene and Bromazolam include Caffeine (cutting agent) and Fentanyl (opioid class). As Nitazenes were the emerging psychoactive substance which were most frequently detected, a more in-depth examination of their emergence would be of interest.

Drug analysis service - Health Canada:

• Marie-Line Gilbert
• Michèle Boileau-Falardeau
• Cindy Leung-So
• Caroline Maurice-Gelinas
• Mark Hrynkiw
• Richard Laing
• Stéphanie Lessard
• Janike Pitre
• Benoit Archambault

Suggested Citation

Government of Canada. (2022). Health Canada Drug Analysis Service. At-A-Glance: Newly Reported Psychoactive Substances in Canada. Longueuil (QC), 2022. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/psychoactive-substances-canada-2020-2021.html

Reference