A Sturgeon County man has died after suffering a drug overdose due to a toxic chemical that has recently been found in ecstasy.
The man, in his 40s was found in Sturgeon County recently, after police responded to a sudden death call. Toxicology reports following the man’s death found para-Methoxymethamphetamine or PMMA, which has recently been found in ecstasy, mostly in southern Alberta.
Staff Sgt. Mac Richards of the Morinville RCMP said he can’t be certain the chemical was in ecstasy in this case, noting it might have been placed in another street drug.
“PMMA is a drug by itself, which recently has been put into ecstasy,” Richards said. “But for me to say that it was only ecstasy wouldn’t be accurate because I can’t say that it wasn’t PMMA that was found in another substance.”
Since July 2011, eight overdose deaths in Alberta have been associated with PMMA.
Last month St. Albert RCMP arrested a man for trafficking and found a raw powder they allege he was selling, as ecstasy. When tested, the powder was found to contain PMMA.
Because of the potential for deadly consequences, Morinville RCMP are alerting the public that the substance could be in the area, Richards said. So far there are no other reports of the chemical being found.
“We are not saying that he purchased it here or in Edmonton, but that we know he died here of an overdose of it,” Richards said. “We would be remiss in not saying to the public that it is potentially here.”
Richards said the man’s death should underscore the danger of using street drugs, whose ingredients are always an unknown.
“If you are involved in using street-level drugs, be aware there are risks associated with it and some of the make up of some of these drugs isn’t consistent,” he said.
Health officials says users don’t get the same immediate high from PMMA that they do from normal ecstasy, which often causes them to take more. An overdose can result when the drugs kick in at once.
