Prevalence and blood concentrations of benzodiazepines and opioids in opioid‐positive death investigations in Ontario, Canada, from 2017 to 2021

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of benzodiazepines in opioid‐positive death investigations, including trends in frequency and combination of drugs, as well as demographic data and blood concentrations, where available. Additionally, naloxone concentrations in polysubstance compared to opioid‐only cases were analyzed. This was a retrospective study that consisted of all post‐mortem toxicology cases in Ontario, Canada, from January 01, 2017, to December 31, 2021, with an opioid finding in any analyzed autopsy specimen. There were 11,033 death investigations identified. The overall rate of benzodiazepine co‐involvement was 54.5%. Males accounted for the majority of cases (71%), and the most affected age group was 30‐ to 39‐year‐olds. The most frequently detected opioid was fentanyl and the most frequently detected benzodiazepine was etizolam, which was also the most frequently observed opioid/benzodiazepine combination. Findings related to differences in concentrations of opioids when naloxone was also present were mostly non‐significant, except for methadone. The rate of benzodiazepine detection with opioids grew faster than opioid detections overall, potentially due to the increasingly toxic drug supply. Detection of novel psychoactive drugs fluctuated more unpredictably than opioids and benzodiazepines associated with clinical use. These findings can help inform policy decisions by public health agencies in exploring harm reduction efforts, for example, education and drug‐checking services.