Thank you for your interest and participation in this survey!
The purpose of this survey is to observe patterns of use of new psychoactive substances, as voiced directly from people with lived and living experience. The following results have been provided by Health Canada based on the 2017 pilot survey data. Updated findings from the current survey will be posted as they become available.
In late 2017, Health Canada launched a pilot survey on Bluelight about new psychoactive substance (NPS) use experiences. During that time, 134 respondents from the Bluelight community completed the survey, resulting in a number of reported substances including, but not limited to: 1P-LSD, 25I-NBOMe, 2C-T-7, 4-AcO-DET, 4F-MPH, and ALD-52. On average, 53% of people who reported an episode of NPS use said that it was not their first time using that particular substance, and 79% indicated that they had taken the substance at least three times in the past 12 months.
The majority of reported substances came in the form of a powder (44% ) or blotter/film/stamp (27% ), and was most often taken through absorption (28% ) or swallowed as a pill/capsule (16% ). Most respondents (74% ) reported taking a single dose of the substance, with few respondents indicating that they either took a larger dose than intended (23% ) or took more doses than intended (13% ).
Respondents reported that they took the substance in order to achieve a variety of desired effects, with the most common being hallucination (i.e., to alter one’s visual or auditory perceptions; 41% ), to alter one’s consciousness (24% ), or to reduce or manage anxiety, fear, stress or depression (22% ), and 80% indicated that the desired effects were achieved. Although most respondents felt that the substance they took was of high purity (86% ), one quarter (25% ) of respondents reported at least one negative health effect, with the most common being dizziness or balance problems (25% ), involuntary body movements (22% ), psychological crisis involving depression, anxiety, psychosis, paranoia, or a manic episode (18% ), hyperthermia (20% ), irregular or fast heart beats, severe arrhythmia or tachycardia (17% ), and nausea and vomiting (17% ).
Overall, the majority of respondents reported taking any NPS monthly or less (79% ) and 61% indicated that they plan to use NPS sometime in the future.
For help with problematic substance use, please visit:
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-can...-help/get-help-problematic-substance-use.html