Fentanyl-related deaths in Ontario, Canada: toxicological findings and circumstances of death in 4395 cases (2020–22)

Abstract Over the last 20 years, there has been a significant increase in fentanyl-related deaths in Ontario, Canada. This report examines toxicological findings in a series of death investigations in which fentanyl was quantitated to identify the prevalence, trends, and demographic data associated with fentanyl in Ontario, Canada, and to highlight the changes in these trends since fentanyl began appearing in casework in Ontario in the early 2000s. A retrospective study of all cases in which fentanyl was quantitated in