'Shocking' amounts of cocaine a bigger problem than opioids in Cape Breton, say police
CBC
This story is part of a series by CBC Cape Breton examining the use of street drugs on the island. Click here to read more stories in this series.
While Canada fights a deadly opioid crisis that public health officials say has only worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, a different kind of drug is taking hold in Cape Breton with a pervasiveness that has stunned even law enforcement.
Cocaine has been on the island for decades, but it has edged out other illegal and illicit substances in the past year and a half to become one of the most popular drugs in Cape Breton, leading to addiction and, in some cases, death.
"I think the best word to describe it is shocking when you actually see how much cocaine there is in this community and how many different groups of people that are trafficking in it," said Const. John Campbell, a street crimes officer with the Cape Breton Regional Police Service.
Opioids have been blamed for thousands of deaths in Canada since the pandemic began, but Campbell said police in Cape Breton have actually seen a decrease in opioid use on the street.
In its place, cocaine has emerged as the preferred drug for various walks of life.
Cape Breton police would not provide CBC News with numbers showing how much more cocaine they're seeing.
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