The BC Coroners Service is investigating another death potentially related to the use of ecstasy. On the night of Jan. 14, 2012, a 16-year-old boy from Langley was with others when he reportedly took ecstasy along with other pharmaceutical drugs.

In the early morning hours of Jan. 15, the boy was heard to collapse, and one of the others nearby called 911. Paramedics attended quickly and transported the boy to Langley Memorial Hospital. He could not be revived.

Toxicology testing will be completed as quickly as possible to determine whether the use of ecstasy was a factor in the death, and if so, whether the ecstasy tablet included the presence of PMMA (paramethoxy-metamphetamine).

Last week the BC Coroners Service announced that PMMA had been linked to five ecstasy-related deaths in the province in the past six months, with two of those deaths occurring this month. PMMA has also been linked to several recent deaths in Alberta.

Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe says that this latest death again emphasizes the point that every ingestion of ecstasy is a risk as there is no way of determining the actual ingredients of a drug concocted for profit in an unregulated environment. Lapointe stresses that even though ecstasy is often thought to be a recreational drug rather than one of addiction, there is no known safe dose.

The BC Coroners Service is continuing to work closely with police and health authorities to learn more about these deaths and in support of its public health and safety mission.

Additional information about BC Coroners Service findings regarding ecstasy- or MDMA-related deaths from 2006 through 2011 is available on the Coroners Service website: www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/coroners

Contact:

Barbara McLintock
Coroner, Strategic Programs
250 356-9253
250 213-5020 (cell)