Officials are trying to determine whether the death of a 16-year-old boy in Langley over the weekend can be linked with five other ecstasy-related deaths.
The B.C. Coroners Service confirmed the death and said the teen was reportedly taking ecstasy, along with other pharmaceutical drugs, when he died in the early morning hours of Saturday.
The recreational drug has been the subject of a health warning after five previous ecstasy-related deaths within the past six months.
In those cases, and several more in Alberta, analysts detected the added presence of PMMA (paramethoxy-metamphetamine) in the drug and warned that pills making it to the streets may be more potent and dangerous than normal.
Toxicology tests will be conducted as quickly as possible to determine whether PMMA was present in the Langley death, the coroners service said.
Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said in a release that ingesting ecstasy is a risk, as there is no way to determine the actual ingredients used to make the pill and that there is no known “safe dose” of the drug.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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